A few months ago, a special tribute about a distinctive figure in Limassol was featured in All About Limassol (the Official Source for Promoting Limassol), which demonstrated how one man, no matter how quietly he spent his life, can actually create a positive image for the city. Kyriakos Filippides was such a man.
The tribute was about the course of his life in Limassol, and aimed to underline those qualities that made him so loved by all. This resulted in thousands of people putting in their own good word for him, not just neighbours and fellow citizens, but also people from around the world, from Australia to Canada and beyond. This positive impact of his life was reiterated a few months later through the work of a young artist from Limassol, who made it clear that the example of 90 – year – old Kyriakos Filippides and his beaming smile had influenced the younger generations, too.
Leonidas Constantis, a street artist who creates different types of graffiti, was inspired to create a portrait which brings Kyriakos Filippides back to his usual spot from his later years, in the walkway of Genethliou Mitella Street where his orange juice shop was located. “Recently,” says Leonidas, “as I was passing by this area, I could not help but look at the corner where his shop used to be. Even though it has been closed since he’s been gone, people still remember him as Limassol’s characteristic figure, smiling and greeting people.” Thus, Leonidas found a way to bring him back to this spot with his own art, paying a tribute to the familiar face of Kyriakos Filippides through a graffiti portrait.
