Nicosia in Dark and White by Thodoris Tzalavras

The book “Nicosia in Dark and White” provides a look inside the long-time abandoned buildings adjacent to the so called Green Line in Nicosia, the divided capital of Cyprus. Through 40 black and white photographs that span a period of four years, Thodoris Tzalavras captured on film what this neglected part of an otherwise vibrant city looks and feels like.

Following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 most of the buildings in Nicosia in the area around the so-called Green Line were abandoned. A lot of them stayed that way.

Over the years the photographer Thodoris Tzalavras had visited the southern part of the island many times on vacation since his mother’s family is in Limassol. He never spent time in the capital of Nicosia though. That changed in 2002 when during his mandatory service in the Greek armed forces stationed on the island he got to spend significant time in and around the old city of Nicosia. Unlike the locals, who had grown accustomed to this haunting and intriguing scenery, he was unprepared, disturbed and inspired.

The places that he presents here made such a huge impression on him from the first time he came across them that he felt compelled to communicate this through his craft. All pictures were captured with the existing light entering those places, with a medium format camera on a tripod and long exposures.

Check out Thodoris Tzalavras’ homepage.

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