After Nature Stelios Kallinikou - (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The "After Nature. Ulrike Crespo Photography Prize" is a joint project of the C/O Berlin Foundation and the Crespo Foundation, Frankfurt. In 2026 it will be awarded for the third time. The prize honors artists who explore new concepts of nature in photography and other visual media through their work.

In his new project, Stelios Kallinikou explores Akrotiri Salt Lake, which forms part of a British military base as a British overseas territory on Cyprus. The lake is an important wetland habitat in the eastern Mediterranean region, located in close proximity to some of Cyprus's oldest archaeological sites, and a key wetland habitat for countless flora and fauna. Kallinikou conveys the tensions between military exploitation, ecological fragility, and cultural heritage in this place by interweaving multiple time periods. Incorporating photography, film, and sculpture, his project makes visible the complex relationships between land, borders, and sovereignty, inviting viewers to reflect on colonial legacies at Europe's outer edge.

About the Author

Stelios Kallinikou (b. 1985, Limassol, Cyprus) presents us with sequences of imagery, flowing into interlaced dialogues whilst crossing different themes such us, politics, colonialism, the environment, technology, spirituality, and the power of images. Through photography, video and sound, worlds are constructed at an introspective pace, and then act as speculative scenarios through which the intersections between territorial and ideological notions relating to land and the body are explored.

His work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions internationally, including de Appel, Amsterdam (2026); Baleno International, Rome, Italy (2024); Eins Gallery, Limassol, Cyprus (2024); SPEL, State Gallery of Contemporary Art, Nicosia, Cyprus (2023); The Broken Pitcher, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, Germany (2023); Lenbachhaus Municipal Museum, Munich, Germany (2023); Beirut Art Center, Beirut, Lebanon (2022); Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Germany (2022); the 6th Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art, Yekaterinburg, Russia (2021); Grey Noise, Dubai, UAE (2021); Saigon, Athens, Greece (2020); Phenomenon, Anafi, Greece (2019); MOMus - Museum of Photography Thessaloniki, Greece (2019); NiMAC (Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre), Cyprus (2017/2019); Foam Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2018); APHF, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece (2017); Point Centre of Contemporary Art, Nicosia, Cyprus (2017/2019); and Equilibrists, organized by the New Museum, New York, and the DESTE Foundation, Athens, Greece (2016).

Kallinikou was a resident at Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (2018-2019). He is a recipient of the Foam Talent Award (2019) and was selected for the Foam Talent exhibition. He is also the winner of the After Nature Photography Prize, C/O Berlin in collaboration with the Crespo Foundation (2026). He is the co-founder of Thkio Ppalies Project Space, based in Nicosia, Cyprus.