Internationally acclaimed Cypriot artist Stass Paraskos has been invited to show his work in a special exhibition marking the centenary of the world famous Barry Summer School in Britain next month.
The exhibition celebrates the history of a remarkable institution that was a centre for avant garde art in the ’60s.
“Most people think of places like Documenta in Kassel or Black Mountain College in America as avant garde. But in Britain it was Barry Summer School. Everyone went there to learn about abstract painting, performance art and installation art. There was nothing else like it,” said the artist.
Stass has been asked to show a painting made in 1966 of his fellow artist Robin Page.
“Robin was a good friend. But he was also a radical artist. He was the first British artist to make installation art and do performance art. Then he went to Paris to teach the French how to do it,” said Paraskos.
“One of the most important things about Barry was that it inspired me to do something similar in Cyprus. It was Barry Summer School which gave me the idea for the Cyprus College of Art.”
Stass founded the Cyprus College of Art in 1969 with support from his colleagues at Leeds College of Art and Archbishop Makarios. Stass is also the only Cypriot artist to have work in London’s prestigious Tate Gallery.
The exhibition will be at Art Central in Barry from 20 August to 7 September.