The Diatopos Contemporary Art Center presents Emma Louise Charalambous' first solo exhibition titled "Amensalism", curated by Daphne Nikita. The opening will take place on Friday, October 4th at 7 PM, and the exhibition will run until October 25th, 2024.

In her first solo exhibition, photographer Emma Louise Charalambous examines the power structures that affect environmental and urban policy in Cyprus.

The exhibition is divided into two thematic sections. In the first, titled *"What's Up With The Sky?"* the artist adopts a documentary-style approach to investigate issues of ecological and socio-cultural significance related to air pollution.

Her work aims to communicate the power structures at play and highlight the urgent need for action to address the impacts of the crisis.

The World Health Organization has characterized climate change as "the greatest threat to human health." Specifically, air pollution, which significantly contributes to this climate crisis, is ranked as the second most deadly non-communicable threat to our health, responsible for approximately seven million premature deaths globally each year. In Cyprus alone, the European Environment Agency reports that 600 to 800 people die prematurely each year due to poor air quality. The first thematic section, *"What's Up With The Sky?"* explores local air pollution, highlighting how this deadly phenomenon often goes unnoticed in our daily lives. Through a combination of documentary photographic "field notes" and conceptual works—which serve as visual samples of data revealing the density of atmospheric pollutants—this work blends documentary photography with art. It illustrates the insignificance of geographical borders in the face of environmental challenges, reminding us that we all share the same sky.

As human systems exploit the environment, they simultaneously exploit people, creating and perpetuating methods of limiting public space and suppressing dissent.

The second thematic section of the exhibition, titled *"Power Play,"* offers an alternative perspective on censorship and the power struggle unfolding in urban spaces. By presenting covered graffiti as unintended abstract public art, it argues that these interventions represent an unknown performative exchange between power and oppressed social actors. The multilayered formations created become an integral part of our urban aesthetic, leaving behind traces of "cleansing" and the shrinking of public space.

Emma Louise Charalambous (b. 1991) has emerged as a distinctive creator who merges science with photography. She initially studied Environmental Science and later channeled her scientific knowledge into photography, which became her primary professional field. In her work, photography functions not only as a medium of artistic expression but also as a tool for analytical research. Through photography, she deconstructs issues related to the environment, presenting her "research" findings through photographic representation and creating a dialogue between science and art.

After publishing and presenting her first photo book *"Bloodhound"* at the AMBIKA P3 Gallery in London (2014) and later at the IAPT Photobook Exhibition in Nicosia (2018), she recently participated in the group exhibition *Divine Duality* at Gallery 45 (Limassol) in 2023, where she showcased pieces from her ongoing project *"What's Up With The Sky?"* Her first solo exhibition, *"Amensalism,"* will take place in October 2024 at the Diatopos Contemporary Art Center in Nicosia. In this exhibition, the photographer presents her environmental work *"What's Up With The Sky?"* along with the introduction of a new collection of works addressing issues of space and censorship.

The exhibition will run until October 25th and will be open during the following hours: Wednesday – Friday 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Saturday 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.

Diatopos Contemporary Art Center is located at 11 Crete Street, phone: 22-766117, email: [email protected], website: www.diatopos.com.