About Hambis
He was born at Kontea, Cyprus, in 1947. When he was 24, he was fortunate to be invited by the engraver A. Tassos to join him in Athens at his workshop, where Tassos tutored him in his first lessons in printmaking. Tassos’s invitation and special attention influenced and determined his future steps in art, until today. From the age of 29 until 35, he studied graphic arts at the Sourikov Institute of Moscow, paying special attention in printmaking. He taught graphic arts in the State Education of Cyprus from 1987 until 2008.
He has set as the main objective of his art, which he always follows faithfully, the expression of his country, its history, torments, joys, beauty, and folklore.
He exhibited his work in many solo exhibitions, in Cyprus and other countries, among which: Moscow - Sourikov 1981; Titograd Yugoslavia - Gallery of the non-aligned Countries 1986; Athens - House of Cyprus 1987, 1995, 2000, 2008; Ljubljana - Gallery IC 1988; London - New Gallery Wood Green 1989; Athens - Gallery Aennaon 1997; Nancy, France - Gallery Berger 1998.
He took part in many group exhibitions, Biennale and Triennale: 9th Alexandria Biennale 1972; Commonwealth Exhibition, Brisbane, Australia 1982; 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th Ljubljana Biennale 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989; Mediterranean Young Creators, Marseille 1985; For Peace, on the occasion of the 40 years of UN, Sloveni Grates Yugoslavia 1985; 2nd Cairo International Biennale 1986; Berlin Intergrafik 1997, 1990; Bratislava Biennale of Illustration 1988, 1995; Brisbane EXPO’88 Australia 1988; Chamalières Triennale of Printmaking, France 2000; Rhodes Mediterranean Triennale of Engraving 2008.
He conceived and published the following books: Spanos and the Forty Dragons, 1986; The Prince of Venice, 1994, Hambis - 25 Years of Engraving, 1995; The Fey Enchantress, 1999; The Kalikangiari and the Game, 2005; Kalikangiari - Cypriot Tales, 2006; Kalikangiari - Tales in the Cypriot dialect, 2007. He illustrated several books by Cypriot writers.
Awards: Honourable Award at the Bratislava Biennale of Illustrations (BIB), 1987, for his book Spanos and the Forty Dragons; Certificate of Honour for Illustration from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) 1988; Three State Awards for Illustration and one State Award for Essay in Cyprus. He has works at Pushkin Museum in Moscow, in Art Museums and Foundations, public and private collections in several countries.
Every year, since 1995, during the whole month of August, he offers at Platanisteia, free lessons in the art of printmaking to anyone who is interested, in memory of his great tutor, A. Tassos.
In 2008, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Dimitris Christofias, inaugurated Hambis Printmaking Museum at Platanisteia, which projects prints from many countries, dating back in the 16th century and onwards. The Museum is a part of a big Printmaking Centre, where works of the printmaker Hambis and of his students are permanent displays.
