Unresolved tension brought to the fore in Cyprus sculptures
Andreas Kalli’s work is a quiet storm of unresolved tension. His sculptures, drawings and video installations sit at the intersection of existence, desire and loss, creating a space for viewers to reflect on the journeys we take, those we wish we had taken, and those that remain forever unfulfilled.
For Andreas, the journey is everything, and the destination – if it even exists – is a mirage. “The whole project started with an introspective process,” he sayd about his current series titled Unfulfilled Journeys, a collection deeply influenced by the Greek poet Cavafy’s The Polis. “Cavafy raised questions for me about what our image is and what our position is in the space where we are hosted. How do we match reasoning, values, and visions by storing them in a ‘city’ that resides within us?” This introspection forms the foundation of Kalli’s work, as he wrestles with the tensions between freedom, travel and the limitations imposed by time and space.
His sculptures speak this language fluently. Take Conflict (2012), where a pickaxe meets a metal box. The violence is implied but never fully realised. Or Suggestibility of Attraction, where a peacock feather brushes against a trap, evoking a sense of danger and seduction, but the moment is frozen in time. “A special feature of the sculptures is also the incorporation of a potential intention, a condition that is not ‘completed’,” Kalli explains.
His work revels in that tension – the thing that could happen, but doesn’t. The journey that could be taken, but remains unfinished. Each piece embodies a specific moment of pause, a snapshot of an event before it culminates. Waiting for a Miracle II (2023) captures a stone falling, yet in those final seconds before impact, the glass below it remains unshattered. This unbroken moment symbolises something greater: “Each unfinished condition symbolises a pivotal existential or historical moment,” he says. “It is the moment when you realise the connection to the events that define or transform your life.”
For Kalli, life itself is a constant state of transition – between moments, decisions and experiences. His sculptures mimic this liminal state. In Unfulfilled Journey, a kite is tethered to an anchor, unable to soar despite the wind’s pull. In *Kitesurfing* (2014), a black cloak hovers, balanced on a rod, caught between flight and collapse. These pieces are not just objects; they are metaphors for the human condition. We are all kites tied to anchors, balloons caught in ribbons, moments that exist on the edge of change.
Kalli’s creative process is an intricate one, grounded in both the personal and the social. “It is a search with a focus on the inside of the personal space and the outside of the social space,” he says. “In this dipole, you try to describe the anxiety and the experiences you receive, transforming them and externalising them, creating visual works.” This constant push and pull – between the internal and the external, the personal and the collective – defines his artistic practice.
His studio in Larnaca provides a fertile ground for this exploration. Growing up in Cyprus has undoubtedly influenced his perspective, though Kalli is careful not to romanticise or overstate the impact of his environment. “For an artist, the issue is mental and physical,” he says. “The time we are going through, with the distances and relationships of people getting closer and closer, can easily enrich his stimuli and his experiences at any time.” But while Kalli finds inspiration in his surroundings, he also acknowledges the challenges of working as an artist in Cyprus.
“I am optimistic that even a conservative culture should not act as a limitation on our personal path,” he says. “We must realise that we live in a continuous present and that we are citizens and designers of this world.” For Kalli, Cyprus is not just a geographical location – it is a metaphor for the “small or large villages” from which we all come, and through which we must all navigate. Despite these challenges, Kalli’s work speaks to universal themes.
His art is not bound by geography or culture, but rather by the human experience itself. The unfinished journeys, the unfulfilled desires – these are not unique to any one place or time. They are the threads that connect us all. As Kalli prepares for his upcoming exhibition Cats of an Island 2024 at the Cyprus Contemporary Art Centre, he continues to push the boundaries of his medium, exploring new ways to express the inexpressible. “It is the moment when you realise the connection to the events that define or transform your life,” he says, and in his work, we see those moments frozen, suspended in time, waiting for their next breath.
Kalli’s work challenges us to confront our own unfulfilled journeys, the paths we didn’t take, and the desires we’ve left behind. It is a reminder that, as humans, we are constantly in motion, even when we feel stuck. “You build a ‘vehicle’ that you can travel with for a long time,” Kalli says of his creative process. His art is that vehicle, and through it, we are invited to journey with him—into the unknown, the unfinished, and the unfulfilled.