Bridge-Building is a neon sign art installation commissioned for the European Capital of Culture Pafos 2017. In general, the term “bridge-building” is used as a metaphor for fostering interactions between communities and people who may not naturally meet. Even though this metaphor is used by marriage counsellors, teachers, and peacemakers, it doesn’t hold up: social fragmentation isn’t as plainly two-sided as a bridge.

This artwork illuminates the many, often-overlooked and behind-the-scenes connections in “bridge-building”. The neon medium is significant: neon signs can be filled with either neon or argon gas. In Greek, argon (αργών) means “slow” or “late,” while neon (νέον) means “new” or “news.” I intentionally chose argon for this piece, as it was commissioned for an exhibition in Nicosia, Cyprus, a city divided for over 50 years, where peace negotiations between the Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots have not yet yeilded results.

The title of the work, “Political Statement Not for a T-Shirt,” was inspired by a question from an art critic during an exhibition I participated in, in Moscow. This neon piece was commissioned as part of the European Capital of Culture Pafos2017 program.