Joy Stathopoulou

PUBLIC AWARD @ JELO6 PROJECT CYPRUS 2025

Artist Statement

Lighting Echoes connects the prehistoric cross-shaped figurine of Pomos, from the Chalcolithic period, discovered in the district of Paphos, with the traditional female costume of Paphos — a dialogue between “before” and “now” within the same mold. The abstract seated form of the figurine, a symbol of fertility and Cypriot cultural heritage, with open arms evokes a ritual dance. On the reverse, an upright woman in Paphian costume – vraka, colorful skirt, vest, and headscarf – dances, expressing living tradition and the “rituals” of today. Through minimal materials — iron, light, and threads — light itself becomes an artistic language, symbolically illuminating the passage from prehistory and tradition to the present, from the abstract to the expressive, where forms and memories coexist within the same work.

Curriculum Vitae

Joy Stathopoulou, the artist behind Reywal, was originally a lawyer until she began to explore light from a different perspective. Her work explores the intersection of light and matter, a practice introduced with the Satoriexhibition in 2018. This was followed by collaborations with cultural institutions, including the presentation of selected works at the Benaki Shop in 2021. In 2023, she created Pithos for Branding Heritage as part of the Contemporary Minoans collection, exhibited at the BH Digital Museum. Her practice expanded into large-scale installations with Making Waves, presented in 2024 for HELMEPA. Most recently, in 2025, her work Lighting Echoes received the Public Award at the JELO 6 Project in Cyprus.

Title: Lighting Echoes: From Prehistory To Tradition

Collection: Lighting Echoes

Kind:Light-based sculptural Object

Materials: Iron, Threads, Light