Visual Artists and Art Theorists Association – phytorio 

The Visual Artists and Art Theorists Association – phytorio was founded in 2006 by a small group of independent artists. Its primary mission is creating fair working conditions for self-employed artists in Cyprus when it comes to social security and welfare. In 2010 the Municipality of Nicosia provided a home for our association, which is located in the Nicosia Municipal Gardens. Designed in the 60s by the modernist architect Neoptolemos Michaelides, our space originally functioned as the nursery of the municipal garden.

Today, phytorio represents a growing number of independent artists and art theorists and it acts as ‘nursery’ for the arts community, by being both a meeting point and a platform for art and thought production. Our members work together divided into smaller teams and think tanks, and actively participate in creating change in the following three areas:

a) the implementation of a status of the artist act in Cyprus,

b) the harmonization and implementation of legislations concerning the arts, such as the “% For Art”, which stipulates that in Cyprus 1% of the budget of every public building should be spent on public art, 

c) and the creation of favorable professional conditions for the arts community, especially for young artists, through collective processes that connect them with the world.



Board of Directors /
Coordination Team

2022-2024

Elpida Frangeskidou
Maria Loizidou 
Andreas Mallouris
Marietta Mavrokordatou
Eleni Odysseos

Articles of Association ︎