A VIBRANT OPEN-AIR URBAN ART GALLERY
Cyprus has rapidly become a vibrant open-air urban art gallery, turning ordinary city walls, abandoned factories, and even quiet mountain villages into striking landmarks. Driven by annual events like the Limassol Street Life Festival and led by several local street art pioneers, the island’s street art scene beautifully blends contemporary surrealism with deep cultural statements.
THE ULTIMATE CYPRUS STREET ART HUBS
Street art can be found everywhere across the island with each specific area offering a unique style and vibe
Limassol: The Epicentre of Big Murals
Limassol’s Old Town is the Epicentre of huge murals. The long-running Street Life Festival means the historic centre is packed with large-scale masterpieces. The narrow alleys around Agiou Andreou and Ankara Street offer several examples of street art that include the iconic Frida Kahlo mural on Ankara Street and Sasha Korban’s poignant piece, depicting a grandmother protecting a baby. The signature black-and-white whimsical figures by Italian artist Millo also feature there. The Irinis or Ellados Graffiti Yards offer much more raw, adulterated graffiti. Hosting artist jams and stocking professional cans, the city’s biggest local graffiti shop and showroom on the island, the Zograff Studio, can be found on Markoni Street. The village of Lofou features a moving portrait of a 96-year-old resident painted on a village wall by the street artist Twenty Three.
Nicosia: Where Walls Tell Stories
Street art here takes on a more political, historical, and thought-provoking edge. The winding streets of the historic Walled City, especially around the old municipal market, Trikoupi, and Stasinou streets, are teeming with hidden examples. Massive colourful murals on Stasinou Street, created by the celebrated local artist Paparazzi, feature here, along with the collaborative 2018 retro piece by Chloe Finn and Leoc_art on the yellow wall of Kafeneio to Leoforeio, which honours traditional marketplace vendors. The village of Katydata, situated within the Nicosia district, is the setting of a beautiful portrait of a traditional flute maker.
Larnaca: Home of the Pioneers
Street art here revolves heavily around its resident artists and raw urban spaces. The historic old quarter and the coastal unpaved lot between the Larnaca Port and Marina showcase several examples of this kind of art. Packed with incredible graffiti collections stretching back over a decade, the unpaved parking lot serves as the historic Harbour Hall of Fame. Larnaca is also home to the Paparazzi ART Studio, which can be found on Karaoli and Dimitriou Street. The art here crosses over from street art into a fine art gallery space.
Ayia Napa & The Villages: Unexpected Art Trails
Urban art here has spilt far beyond the cities into resort towns and rural mountain villages. Known for the Ayia Napa Street Art Festival, the resort town of Ayia Napa features massive building-sized murals, including the world-famous Yuri Gagarin astronaut piece painted by Paparazzi. The unique Cementography trail features rural murals.
THE GREEK CYPRIOT STREET ARTIST WHO HAS FIRMLY PUT HIS STAMP ON THE CITY OF LARNACA
WHO IS PAPARAZZI?
Cyprus street art, it seems, is becoming more apparent across the island. This new relevance has helped to bring Cyprus street art to the forefront. With more and more examples springing up in all major cities, Cypriots, it seems, are beginning to embrace it. In light of this, Greek Cypriot street artist Paparazzi has now created several works of this art form across the city of Larnaca. Indeed, the impressive mural of his flamingo in view of Larnaca airport has now become a somewhat signature symbol of the city, according to several visitors arriving on the island daily.
STILL MORE TO COME!
Coming off the back of his flamingo mural, Paparazzi, above all others, is regularly chosen to create new sponsored street murals across the city of Larnaca. This includes his most recent work on the concrete water reservoir by the Larnaca Salt Lakes. This is another initiative created by the Larnaca tourism board. His works are also supported by the deputy tourism ministry and the city’s municipality.
