TITLE: Abandoned Old Airport of Nicosia

This work is part of my wider engagement focused on abandoned places and the connection between space and historical memory.
"Nicosia International Airport" is such a place.
A painful symbol of division and a part of the island's turbulent history, the airport was the site of long and bloody battles. It ceased to operate after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. These days it's not accessible to the public, as it is located in the United Nations-patrolled "buffer zone" and is used by the world body as the headquarters of its peacekeeping force on the island.
Memory is linked to places, while history to events, and Pierre Nora talks about the interaction that leads to their mutual definition.
On the other hand, Robert Ginsberg talks about ruins and their aesthetics, explaining that their beauty is not only in themselves but also in what is hiding inside of them.
Through this work, I tried to transport viewers to the past and enable them to understand the historical context of the place and its symbolism, as the perpetuation of the dividing status quo will leave it vulnerable to the disastrous passage of time and a permanent of the division of the island.

AUTHOR: Dimitris Sideridis (Greece)

D.Sideridis is a Greek photographer, filmmaker and visual artist whose award-winning work has appeared in some of the world’s biggest digital publications, among others.
He is the founder of Imagefields Lab, an Athens-based film production company which focuses on producing documentary films, mixed media artworks, and organizes educational workshops. The goal is to create impressive works that engages the audience, challenges their thinking and transforms their experience.
He has a long-standing collaboration with Al Jazeera both as a photo-editor on its digital platform and as a photojournalist in the field, covering a wide range of social and anthropological issues.
He also collaborates with CNN on culture and travel topics.
In 2020, "Rafael Trejo–Dukes on the Ropes", his self-published photo book about a legendary boxing gym in Havana, won the Gold Award at the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris in the Professional/Documentary category and in 2021 the Silver Award at the Moscow International Foto Awards in the same category.
His work has been awarded in many international competitions with over 40 awards and distinctions, while his photographs have been exhibited both in Greece and abroad.
He holds a MA in “Photography and Visual Language” from Middlesex University, London.
Lives and works between Athens and Doha.

2024
Tokyo Int. Foto Aw. Silver & Bronze W Soil is our mother
Budapest Int. Foto Aw. Gold & Bronze W Soil is our mother
PX3 Prix De La Photographie HM Soil is our mother
DODHO Mag. The 100 Best Images of the Portrait Photography Aw.
2023
Monovisions B/W Phot. Aw. HM Women Refuges
MUSE Phot. Aw. 2023
Platinum & Gold W Memory & Loss
Silver W As Long As It Lasts
Annual Phot. Aw. 2022
HM Passage/Women Refugees/Workers on Lunch Break
LICC-London Int. Creative Comp. 2022
Off.Sel.Short Video Memory & Loss
reFocus B/W Aw. Nominee Women Refugees
Monochrome Phot. B/W Aw. 2022 HM Women Refugees
2022
Tokyo Int. Foto Aw.
Bronze W Women Refugees
Off.Sel. Women Refugees
Chromatic Aw. 2022
2nd Hidden
HM Seaweeds
Budapest Int. Foto Aw.
Silver W Loss & Memory
Bronze W Passage
HM Women Refugees
10th Olympic Photo Circuit 2022
GAP HM 6 Hermes Salon Break
Nominee’s Apollo Salon Break/Women Refugees
PX3 Prix De La Photographie Bronze W Women Refugees
reFocus Aw.
People’s Vote W
Women Refugees/Break/Rafael Trejo – Dukes on the Ropes
Nominee’s
The woman and her dog/Seaweeds/Place and Memory/Arab Night At The Souq/ Passage
2021
Moscow Int. Foto Aw.
Silver W Rafael Trejo-Dukes on the Ropes Book
HM Hellenikon
PX3 Prix de la Photographie Bronze W Hellenikon
2020
PX3 Prix de la Photographie Gold W Rafael Trejo-Dukes on the Ropes Book
Fine Art Phot. Aw. Nominee Rafael Trejo-Dukes on the Ropes
Annual Phot. Aw. HM Rafael Trejo-Dukes on the Ropes
Tokyo Int. Foto Aw.
HM Rafael Trejo-Dukes on the Ropes Book
HM Hellenikon
Budapest Int. Foto Aw. HM Hellenikon
Chromatic Aw. HM Arab Night At The Souq
2019
IPA-Int. Photo Aw. HM Arab Night At The Souq
2018
PX3 Prix de La Photographie HM Nicosia Airport
Monovisions Phot. Aw HM Nicosia Airport