NICOLAS IORDANOU

Nicolas Iordanou, photographer and filmmaker, was born in Paphos, Cyprus. He studied Photography at Columbia College Chicago.

In 2000 he was assigned as a photographer in ‘CITY2000’ (Chicago in the Year 2000) a project about the social and cultural aspects of Chicago, which was exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago in 2001. From 2001 until 2007 he worked as a photojournalist, dealing with conflict and postwar photography in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Palestine/Israel, Uganda, Lebanon and also covered the September 11 attacks in New York City. He also collaborates pro bono with the United Nations (UNHCR). In 2005 he was invited by the Goethe Institut as a reviewer in the Photography Festival of Berlin. In 2007, he was assigned to photograph an international project called ‘Challenging Walls’ in collaboration with Akademie der Künste – Berlin and Sibylle Bergmann, whose goal was to bring conflicted communities closer, having a common vision of peace and coexistence. This project was exhibited in Abu Dis, Israel/ Palestine.

In October 2009 he had his first solo exhibition titled ‘Prologue’ in the Center of Contemporary Art Diatopos in Nicosia, Cyprus. In 2010 he worked as a Director of Photography in the Italian film ‘From Father’s Eyes’. In 2013 he participates in the exhibition ‘Catharsis/Rebirth’ in Paphos, Cyprus and co-directs a short film presentation from it, which was selected and presented in the Louvre Museum in Paris as part of the Michelangelo Pistoletto’s exhibition ‘Annee Un – Le Paradis Sur Terre’. From 2011 he has directed and produced several films and documentaries that were screened and awarded internationally.

He has collaborated with the European Capital of Culture Pafos 2017 (Cyprus) and Aarhus 2017 (Denmark) through which he has created and produced major projects. In 2017 he has curated and participated in a photography exhibition in Paphos titled ‘The Alien Trail’ with photographers Antoine d’Agata, Nikos Economopoulos and Bieke Depoorter. Additionally, he has curated and participated in a public art exhibition titled ‘The Cementography Project’ which is installed permanently in Paphos’ city center in Cyprus.

He is the co-founder of Kimonos Art Center in Paphos and the co-director of the Paphos International Film Festival.

COMMISIONS

2016 Genius Loci - The Contemporary Photographic Gaze,

Leventis Gallery, Cyprus

2012 InSITE (in association with the Minitry of Culture and

Education), Cyprus

2010 Ancient Whispers , Film Stills (In association with NeMe), Cyprus

2009 Lost in Division, Cyprus

2007 Challenging Walls (with Sibylle Bergemann & Berlin's

Akademie der Künste), Israel

2000 Chicago in the Year 2000 (CITY 2000), U.S.A.

EXHIBITIONS

2017 Group exhibition (The Alien Trail) - NIMAC Nicosia Municipal Gallery, Cyprus

Group exhibition (The Alien Trail) - Old Powerhouse, Paphos Cyprus

Book presentation by Daphne Nikita - exhibition (Black Dogs), The Centre of Contemporary Art Diatopos, Nicosia Cyprus

2016 Group exhibition (Genius Loci - The Contemporary Photographic Gaze), Leventis Gallery, Nicosia Cyprus

2013 'Catharsis/Rebirth' Short Film presentation, part of Michelangelo Pistoletto's exhibition (Année un - le paradis sur terre),

Louvre Museum, Paris, France

2012 Group exhibition (Catharsis / Rebirth), Ottoman Baths, Paphos, Cyprus

Site Specific group exhibition (inSITE), Nea Paphos, Cyprus

Group exhibition (Static Aesthetic), Chiaki Kamikawa Contemporary Art, Paphos Cyprus

2011 Group exhibition (Summertime), The Centre of Contemporary Art Diatopos, Nicosia Cyprus

2010 Group exhibition (Love & Hate), The Centre of Contemporary Art Diatopos, Nicosia Cyprus

2009 Solo exhibition (Prologue) The Centre of Contemporary Art Diatopos, Nicosia Cyprus

2008 Pancyprian art exhibition Nicosia Municipal Art Center (Παλιά Ηλεκτρική), Nicosia Cyprus

2007 Group exhibition (Challenging Walls), Abu Dis, Israel/Palestine

2005 Group exhibition The House of Arts & Literature, Paphos Cyprus

2001 Group exhibition (CITY 2000) The Chicago Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago U.S.A

SELECTED SCREENINGS

2018 Copenhagen Jazz Film Festival, Denmark

Riverside International Film Festival, California, U.S.A.

2017 PÖFF Shorts - Short Film and Animation Festival Tallinn, Estonia

Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries, Alexandria, Egypt

ISHINOMAKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Ishinomaki, Japan

'Common Ground', Ibrahim’s Khan, European Capital of Culture Pafos 2017, Pafos, Cyprus

'The Alien Trail', Attikon, European Capital of Culture Pafos 2017, Pafos, Cyprus

2016 INDEPENDENT DAYS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Karlsruhe, Germany

UN*DEPENDENCE FILM FESTIVAL, Edinburgh, Scotland

2015 AEGEANDocs INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL, Lesvos, Greece

INNSBRUCK NATURE FILM FESTIVAL, Innsbruck, Austria

GreenspaceNYC - Films on Sustainability, New York, USA

CRAFT IN FOCUS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

VOICES FROM THE WATERS INTERNATIONAL TRAVELING FILM FESTIVAL, Bangalore, India

INTERNATIONAL KUALA LUMPUR ECO FILM FESTIVAL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

AWARDS

2017 Audience Award - Copenhagen Jazz Film Festival, Denmark

2017 Best Music Short Film 'Soma & Lil' - Queen City Film Festival Maryland, U.S.A.

2017 Best Short Documentary 'Soma & Lil' - Ishinomaki International Film Festival, Japan

2017 Best Short Documentary 'Common Ground' - Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries, Egypt

2015 Best Fiction Film 'Salvador' - GreenspaceNYC - Films on Sustainability, New York, USA

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS

Leventis Gallery, Nicosia, Cyprus

Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago U.S.A.

University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), U.S.A.

Harold Washington College, U.S.A.

CURATORIAL WORK

2017 'The Alien Trail' photography exhibition

Old Powerhouse Paphos, Cyprus

participating photographers:

Antoine d'Agata, Bieke Depoorter, Nikos

Economopoulos, Nicolas Iordanou

(European Capital of Culture Pafos 2017)

2017 'The Cementography Project' public art

Paphos' city center, Cyprus

participating artists:

Costas Economou, Aristotelis Demetriou

Miriam McConnon, Constanti Marianna

Chiaki Kamikawa, Gabrielle Cornuault

Alexander Gautier, Yiannis Sakellis,

Charalambos Margaritis, Sylvia Nicolaides,

Nicolas Iordanou

(European Capital of Culture Pafos 2017)