In the heart of spring, a new artistic endeavour is arriving to shake things up and place Cyprus on the international art map. In mid May, VIMA, the first international contemporary art fair in Cyprus, is taking place in Limassol and its participants have just been announced.

The fair will debut on May 16-18 at TheWarehouse by IT Quarter in Limassol. In an intimate setting of up to 30 invited participants, the fair’s first edition welcomes galleries, nonprofits, and artist-run spaces from Cyprus and 10 other countries across four continents. This reflects the island’s unique position at the cultural and geographical crossroads of the Mediterranean and surrounding regions – a natural gathering place – in addition to VIMA’s mission to foster connections between the fast-growing art ecosystems in Cyprus and those in nearby countries.

So far. the participating institutions include the Nicosia art establishments Alpha C.K. Art Gallery, Art Seen by Maria Stathi, Diatopos Art Centre, Garage Art Space, Korai project space, the Office Gallery, Thousand Julys and Limassol’s The Edit Gallery and eins gallery.

Also taking part are The Breeder, CALLIRRHOË, Diato Eleftheria Tseliou Gallery, Hot Wheels and Kalfayan Galleries from Athens. Galerie Tanit from Beirut/Munich, Marfa from Bierut, Nika Project Space from Dubai, pop/off/art from Baku, Sylvia Kouvali from Piraeus/London, Takeover from Beirut, The Third Line from Dubai, Tiwani Contemporary from London/Lagos and Window Project from Tbilisi.

“We are thrilled to be announcing such a strong, exciting, and diverse list of participants for VIMA’s inaugural edition alongside an exhibition rooted in its surroundings by the brilliant Ludovic Delalande for our curatorial project. Local galleries are already doing incredible work to promote artists, encourage dialogue, and engage viewers,” say the fair’s co-founders, Edgar Gadzhiev, Lara Kotreleva, and Nadezhda Zinovskaya.

“We want VIMA to build on these efforts,” they add, “further contributing to the broader growth of Cyprus’ cultural infrastructure and art market. The timing for a fair feels right.”

And that is not all. Titled The Posterity of the Sun, VIMA Art Fair’s Curatorial Project is a site-specific presentation in the venue’s outdoor space. Curated by Delalande, the group exhibition will present innovative perspectives from the invited curator’s recent time in Cyprus.

Delalande says: “As a curator, I tend to conceive a project directly from its context. This opportunity has enabled me to discover Cyprus’ truly dynamic art scene and to explore multiple narratives from a territory uniquely situated between the West and the East”.

What’s more, a public programme will run as well, offering participants, visitors and the public an inclusive, accessible and meaningful entry point to contemporary culture in Cyprus. Curated activities across Limassol and Nicosia will be featured to further initiate dialogue and foster cultural exchange. These activities will include exhibitions, talks, performances, and more. Further information will be announced shortly on the Fair’s website www.vima.art