On the other side of

The gaze of Arianna Arcara has laid on Cyprus. Located at the crossroads of the eastern Mediterranean sea, Cyprus has a rich and varied history due to many invaders, settlers and immigrants who came here throughout the centuries. It had been a tempting target for Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Lusignan, Genoese, Venetians, Ottomans, British and Turkish whom tried to conquer the island.
A former British colony, Cyprus has a complex system of governance in which Great Britain, Greece and Turkey are "guarantors" of the island in the event of interruption of the constitutional order.
In 1960 Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom, after a long campaign against the British with the Greek Cypriot EOKA (National Organization of Cypriot Fighters), a guerrilla group which desired political union with Greece or Enosis .
In July 1974 the president was overthrown by the military coup d’état of 1974 by the Greek Cypriot National Guard and the Greek Military Junta.
The aim of the coup was the annexation of the island by Greece and the Hellenic Republic of Cyprus was declared.
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and that action led to the conquer of about 40% of 'island.
The Turkish invasion ended with the creation by the United Nations of a line of ceasefire, which became the United Nations buffer zone in Cyprus, which still divides Cyprus.
Greek Cypriots who fled the northern areas that were under occupation, while at the same time the Turkish Cypriots were transferred to northern areas occupied by the United Nations and British SBA.
Since then, the southern part of the country was under the control of the internationally recognized government of Cyprus and the northern part under the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The European Union considers that the Greek Cypriot government in Nicosia representing the entire island, while only Ankara recognizes the breakaway administration in northern Cyprus.
UN peacekeepers keep maintain the buffer zone between the two sides.
The area extends for 180 kilometres from the west to the east. It runs through the centre of the old town of Nicosia, separating the city into northern and southern sections.
The city was divided into Greek Cypriot south and the northern Cypriot Turkish in 1963 (the division is called green line), as a result of inner violence that broke out in the city.
Nicosia is the capital and seat of government of the Republic of Cyprus, and is also the capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and so far its last divided capital in the world.
In this case, therefore, the border is inside a city, a divided city. And this division has been greatly documented by Arianna Arcara. She has "registered" the division through a look toward the wall. A careful look, black and white, in order to be as sterile as possible. A look that has documented those details, showing us that time, even if it is flowing, has stopped.

It has almost frozen everything "hanging" on this side and beyond the wall. Old shoes, cracks, picture frames have disappeared, barbed wire .... But life goes on, the time still flows and nature, as often happens, reclaims what rightfully belongs to her and humans has ripped. Here then the plants growing in the shade of the wall or in the crevices that time has created in the wall itself.
And despite the use of black and white, the attentive, delicate, feminine language of Arianna stands out immediately and takes us gently on this land so tainted by violence.