Employing recycled fabrics on wire mesh, she crafts unique portraits and figures, showcasing the modern artistry of weaving.
Text: Romina Xyda
Photos: Panayiotis Mina
Since infancy, Iphigenia Papageorgiou observed her father paint and, upon taking her first steps, she eagerly requested a brush of her own, declaring, “I want one too!” Concurrently, she clandestinely explored her grandmother’s room, captivated by threads, buttons, and fabrics – a dressmaker’s legacy. “I drew incessantly and eventually enrolled in drawing lessons. I cherish those initial sketches to this day. Simultaneously, I adorned dolls with garments I crafted. The pervasive creativity in my household coursed through my veins.”
Initially aspiring to become an architect, her ambition soon expanded to encompass the broader realm of the arts. “I pursued Fine Arts at UCA, Canterbury, England, and in 2012, obtained my Masters in European Arts from Kingston University of London.
Until I found my inclination, my element, I tried everything, from sculpture to painting. In 2014, I started working as an artist and as a teacher in a school, in which I later became responsible. It was then that I discovered my strength in the field of teaching. Teaching the young and the old was like I was born again.”
In 2021, Ιphigenia decided to return to Limassol, founding the Aphi Creative Space in the Old Town, a versatile venue for visual arts classes. Then she delved into a distinct form of weaving, crafting a style entirely her own.
“During this period, I began experimenting with yarn on mesh. Mesh, to me, represents a blank canvas, even more so than paper. It lacks a predefined structure, leaving no boundaries for lines. In 2017, I joined the Street Life Festival. After pondering the mural of the female figure I intended to depict, I tirelessly crafted it over two days. The overwhelmingly positive feedback fueled my confidence to persist with this innovative approach.”
Today, this weaving technique has become synonymous with her identity.
