Digital Artist Transforms Century-Old Glass Negatives Into Contemporary Masterpieces in Nicosia Exhibition
Artos House is pleased to announce “Whatever Remains, Turn It Into Art,” a new solo exhibition by award-winning digital artist Sergis Hadjiadamos, opening on April 5, 2025, at 19:00. This exhibition, which runs through April 18, 2025, invites visitors to witness a mesmerizing fusion of past and present as Hadjiadamos unveils artworks created from century-old deteriorated glass negative plates. The opening reception will feature guest speaker Yorgos Taxiarchopoulos, Founder & Director of ACEY Europe – Arts & Culture Community, highlighting the cultural significance of this artistic endeavor.
Hadjiadamos’s latest show marks his third solo exhibition in Nicosia since 2003, representing a new milestone in a career spanning over two decades. Born in South Africa and brought up in Paphos and now a resident in Nicosia for the past ten years, Hadjiadamos has earned an award for his innovative digital art. His work is renowned for blending cultural heritage with cutting-edge digital techniques, and Whatever Remains, Turn It Into Art continues this tradition on an ambitious scale.
Exhibition Concept: Metamorphosis of History
Whatever Remains, Turn It Into Art is part of Hadjiadamos’s ongoing Metamorphosis art project, which transforms photographic history into contemporary art. The project grew from the artist’s discovery of a neglected archive of early 20th-century glass negatives in a moisture-ridden basement, where fragile plates had naturally fused over time due to decay. These negatives, ravaged by chemical erosion, water damage, and mold, formed accidental compositions of faces and figures, merging individuals from different historical moments into ghostly, unintended portraits. By scanning and digitally working upon these already-metamorphosed images, Hadjiadamos enhances the destruction patterns created by the decay process, allowing the natural disintegration to become an integral part of his artistic language. The resulting compositions incorporate fractured faces, distorted silhouettes, and spectral impressions that evoke a haunting sense of time’s passage. Through vivid color and imaginative intervention, Hadjiadamos bridges historical imagery with modern creativity, turning remnants into art that both preserves and reimagines the past. Each piece serves as a dialogue between eras, showcasing how moments frozen in antique negatives can be reborn as dynamic, present-day visual narratives.
Featured Collections
The exhibition showcases several distinct series of works, each offering a glimpse into the metamorphosis of century-old images:
- Out of Nowhere: A colorful and captivating introduction that greets visitors with vibrantly reimagined imagery from the archive, setting an immediate tone of transformation and discovery.
- Almost Vanished Friends: A sprawling wall installation of 40 paintings, all derived from just two fused glass negatives. This series breathes new life into nearly lost faces, fusing them and forging visual connections between strangers long faded from memory.
- Strangers Forever: An ongoing series where multiple glass negatives merge into a single uncanny tableau. Unrelated individuals from the past are combined into unified portraits, creating haunting “strangers” that never actually met – a commentary on identity, time, and the blurring of personal histories.
- Join the Party: A playful, scattered collection that introduces carnival masks into historical scenes. By integrating festive masquerade imagery with somber vintage photographs, this series invites viewers to consider themes of celebration, anonymity, and continuity of cultural traditions across time.
Artistic Vision & Philosophy
At the heart of Hadjiadamos’s work is an ethos of finding order in chaos. The original glass plate archive was discovered in complete disarray – images cracked, overlapping, and faded beyond recognition. Hadjiadamos approached this chaos as a creative opportunity rather than a limitation. “The archive was in chaos, and I see it as an artist’s duty to bring order to that chaos,” explains Sergis Hadjiadamos, describing the delicate balance he strikes between respecting the source material and reimagining it. “Each plate has already undergone a century of natural metamorphosis; my challenge is to transform whatever remains with both creativity and reverence – to celebrate the beauty in decay by turning it into art.”
Cultural Significance
Art community leaders are heralding the cultural significance of Hadjiadamos’s upcoming exhibition. Yorgos Taxiarchopoulos, Founder & Director of ACEY Europe – Arts & Culture Community, who will inaugurate the show on opening night, emphasizes its importance for heritage and innovation. “Sergis Hadjiadamos’s work demonstrates how art can forge a dialogue between eras,” says George Taxiarchopoulos. “By reviving century-old photographs through a modern lens, he not only preserves cultural memory but also pushes the boundaries of contemporary digital art. This exhibition is a testament to the power of innovation rooted in heritage, and it marks a meaningful moment for our artistic community.”
An Immersive Three-Space Experience
The exhibition is designed as an immersive journey through three distinct spaces within Artos House, each offering a unique sensory and conceptual experience. Visitors will travel from one environment to the next, encountering shifting moods and narratives: an initial burst of color and intrigue, a contemplative chamber of forgotten faces, and a whimsical space where history meets imagination. This multi-room setup allows guests to engage deeply with the art, literally walking through the phases of metamorphosis and discovery that define Hadjiadamos’s project. Each space complements the collections on display, inviting the audience to not only view the art but to experience it in a visceral, memorable way.
Opening Night & Audience Invitation
The opening night on April 5, 2025, promises to be a vibrant affair. In addition to Yorgos Taxiarchopoulos’s opening remarks at 19:00, attendees will enjoy music and wine in a celebratory atmosphere. Journalists, art critics, collectors, and the general public are warmly invited to join the festivities, meet the artist, and be among the first to explore this extraordinary blend of history and art. Whatever Remains, Turn It Into Art will remain on view at Artos House through April 18, 2025, offering ample opportunity for all to witness how fragments of the past can be transformed into thought-provoking contemporary art.
Exhibition Details
- Exhibition Title: Whatever Remains, Turn It Into Art
- Artist: Sergis Hadjiadamos
- Venue: Artos House, Nicosia, Cyprus – Tel: +357 22445455 Email: [email protected] 64, Ay. Omologites Ave 1080 Nicosia
- Exhibition Dates: April 5 – April 18, 2025
- Opening Reception: April 5, 2025, at 19:00 (7:00 PM) – with guest speaker Yorgos Taxiarchopoulos
