New book sheds light on lives of artists in North Cyprus

A NEW book about the lives of a group of international artists in North Cyprus is to be presented to the public in the coming days.

Presentation events of The Thursday Artists by Heidi Trautmann and the Işık Bookstore are due to take place at 4pm on Tuesday, October 19, at the Girne Municipality Art Gallery; and at 4pm on Monday, October 25, at the Atatürk Cultural Centre in Lefkoşa.

The book charts the stories of the members of a group of artists, going back two decades into the stories of their lives and friendships.

The group consists of people of various nationalities and backgrounds, who have all lived in North Cyprus for long periods of their lives.

Ms Trautmann, the book’s author, felt that it was important that their stories are not forgotten given that some of the artists have recently passed away.

“This book is a tribute to all the members of the group, past and present, and was created during the pandemic years of 2020/2021, the only time in all these years that the situation forbade meeting and working together,” a press statement said.

“Besides the urge to reproduce and hunt, the urge to make art is as old as humanity itself. It is a vital educational tool that fully develops the five human senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.”

During the book presentation, a photo show will be shown to the audience in order to “honour the lives of the members of the group who passed away during the last two years” named as Anne Hughes, Margaret H.GouldingBosworth, Marilyn Bosworth, Muriel Clutten, Monika Ottow, Michael Raine and Ruth Smith.