Name: What We Keep by Adi Atassi & Aziza Azizi
Start: 2025-11-17T19:00:00+02:00
End: 2025-11-22T22:00:00+02:00
Location: kafeneio prozak

What We Keep
by Adi Atassi & Aziza Azizi
Group exhibition
Part of the RELATE Festival, (Autumn–Winter 2025)
17-22 November | Opening: 17 November, 19:00
The common room next to Prozak, Nicosia
Visual Voices (CY), Generation for Change (CY), and l’atelier des artistes en exil (FR) invite you to the opening of What We Keep on November 17th at Prozak. Curated by Evagoria Dapola, the exhibition presents new works by Adi Atassi and Aziza Azizi, developed within the framework of the RELATE residency under the mentorship of Efi Savvides.
In What We Keep, the works of Adi Atassi and Aziza Azizi invite us to explore the delicate balance between memory and transformation, between the things we hold onto and the things we let go. This duo exhibition is a meditation on the unseen, on what shapes us without ever being fully acknowledged or understood. Through two distinct artistic languages, one of intimate miniature precision and the other of abstract, almost alchemical exploration of language, both artists raise questions about what survives our journeys, whether mental, physical, emotional or actual, reconsidering what is lost in translation, and what, ultimately, we choose to retain in the silent corners of our lives.
What We Keep, touches on the idea of preservation: not of objects alone, but of the intangible forces that infuse them with meaning. Memory, identity, and nostalgia are the threads that bind the works of Aziza and Adi, who, though separated by generations, both anchor their practice in the materialization of feeling.
Aziza’s delicate miniature works are, at first glance, a quiet dance of color and detail. She draws inspiration from her personal history, specifically the traditional Afghan garments she wore to family celebrations, festivals, and milestones. Through the meticulous rendering of these dresses, she gives them new life, allowing them to transcend their material existence. "Each one carries memories from my homeland and evokes a deep sense of nostalgia," she says. Through the act of remembering, these dresses become more than clothes, they become portals to a homeland both distant and intimate. Aziza’s miniature paintings invite the viewer to join her in an imaginary feast, entering a world where time slows, where memories linger in the intricate traditional patterns of her country. The process of painting miniature on plates is not merely technical but philosophical: in her hands, smallness is not a limitation but a mode of connection. She writes, "For me, miniature painting is not just an art form, but a way of seeing: a slower, deeper, and more meaningful way of being."
Aziza’s careful choice to focus on Afghan clothing reflects the nuances of her cultural identity. It is a subtle yet powerful reclaiming of the visual language of her homeland, one that is not defined by the dominant culture but by the vibrancy and complexity of her own lived experience. Through this act, she preserves not only the beauty of these garments but also the emotional landscape they map: the smells, the textures, the sounds of her past, the sense of belonging that was once embodied in the fabric of these clothes.
Adi, in contrast, explores a more abstract and fluid engagement with memory and identity through the medium of language. His ceramic installation, The Hidden World of Words, invited collaborators to write words, symbols, or letters in spontaneous creation. These words were then transcribed in Chinese black ink, only to be sliced open with a drawing knife, transforming them into a new form. Through an endless negotiation with shape, form and colour, his ceramics are created. This process was not only a physical manipulation of language but an uncovering of its hidden, subconscious dimensions. "What emerges are visual echoes of unspoken thoughts," Adi explains. "Fragments of hidden meanings, imagined worlds, and the silent language that exists before writing begins."
Through this act of transforming words into abstract shapes, Adi taps into the mysteries of language, focusing on its ability to convey meaning, but also its inherent limitations. The shapes that arise from the cutting of the ink speak of something primal, something beyond logic. They mirror the ineffable spaces between what we know and what we cannot yet articulate. In a world of constant translation and reinterpretation, Adi’s work asks us to consider the gaps: the moments when language fails us. His process mirrors the very nature of migration, where a journey between languages is often a journey between selves. What do we lose in translation? And what do we gain?
The works of Adi and Aziza converge in their shared exploration of memory as a process of construction and reconstruction. In their art, language and identity are not static entities but fluid, evolving forces that shape the present while carrying with them the weight of the past. In his Meditations, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius reflects: "The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing. It’s a matter of taking what comes at you and keeping your balance." In many ways, the works of Adi and Aziza mirror this notion. They wrestle with memory and loss, with nostalgia and identity, all the while maintaining a delicate balance between what is preserved and what is transformed.
Ultimately, What We Keep is a reflection on the power of memory, not as a fixed archive of facts and faces but as a living, evolving force that shapes who we are and who we choose to become. In the delicate lines of Aziza’s miniature paintings on plates and in the shifting, ghostly shapes of Adi’s inked words, we encounter the complex terrain of migration, not just of bodies, but of ideas, of emotions, and of identities. These works do not seek to offer easy answers but instead, through their careful attention, make us reconsider what is kept, inviting us to consider the things we carry with us, the things we lose, and the things we choose to leave behind.
Evagoria Dapola, Curator, Arts Writer.

Aziza Azizi is a visual artist working in painting, drawing, and miniature. Drawing on biographical elements, her work is inspired by traditional Afghan motifs and visual culture, evoking longing and connection to her homeland. She studied both arts and law in Afghanistan, but her education was disrupted by the rise of the Taliban and the restrictions on girls’ education. She is now based in Nicosia, Cyprus, where she pursues her artistic practice.
Adi Atassi is a visual artist working in painted abstracts, figures, and landscapes, often incorporating abstract forms and exploring hidden meanings within words and language. Born in Homs, Syria, Adi holds a degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University. Since relocating to Cyprus, he has exhibited widely, including the annual shows of Space Studios in Nicosia, Open Studios within the walls of Nicosia, and exhibitions hosted by the Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts. In 2006, he won first prize in the art competition for the design and creation of a work for the new Supreme Court building in Nicosia. His socially engaged work includes leading art workshops for refugees at the Kofinou reception centre in collaboration with the Red Cross. His work has been shown internationally in Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Romania, Germany, and Spain. Most recently, his solo exhibition Faces Hidden Behind Masks was showcased at smartfox.art in Vienna, Austria.
Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gBPudZfv8XvwW94F6
Aziza Azizi & Adi Atassi are resident artists of RELATE (REveaL – Art To Exchange), where they benefit from the mentorship of Efi Savvides, a leading figure in visual arts and art education in Cyprus.
RELATE supports Cyprus-based migrant artists through mentorship, production support, public showcases, and transnational networking opportunities. It is led by Visual Voices (CY), Generation for Change (CY), and l’atelier des artistes en exil (FR). It is co-funded by the European Union through the CERV programme.