On 15, 16 and 17 December, 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, having achieved a small miracle in the city of Elefsina, one of the smallest cities that have hosted the institution, celebrates the completion of the official title year with a unique three-day celebration titled Mystery 1 Closing : Opening, A Ceremony.
Exactly 315 days after Mystery 0 Mysteries of Transition – Opening Ceremony by 2023 Eleusis in February 2023, six years after the city’s designation, the time has come to complete a great cycle, in the only way that something so vibrant, meaningful and exciting can come to an end: by beginning a new one.
IRIS Factory, Old Oil Mill Factory, Canteen art hub, X-Bowling Art Center, Elefsina Old Town Hall, ARKOPOLIS, OSE – Elefsina Old Railway Station, Cine Eleusis, Eleourgiki Industrial Complex, OASIS former campsite; Ten different venues that were created, renovated and activated on the occasion of 2023 Eleusis, as a legacy for the city of Elefsina, welcome the public with unique events, projects and happenings all over the city, for the whole city and visitors alike, with just one goal: to keep us sleepless and stunned.
The three-day celebration programme opens with the inauguration of the IN SITU REALITIES: Eleusis Documentary Festival
and the premiere of the documentary The Eleusinians by Filippos Koutsaftis – 23 years after the iconic Agelastos Petra [Mourning Rock]. The Festival continues until Tuesday, 19 December, with premieres of more than 10 documentaries inspired by Elefsina and the wider region, as well as a series of retrospective screenings of activities by 2023 Eleusis.
Visual arts, one of the main pillars of the 2023 Eleusis programme, have a special place in the Closing Ceremony: the monumental exhibition of Juan Sandoval titled Mystery 111 Eleusis Terracotta Army opens to the public, on Sunday 17 December, with more than 3,000 helmets of local workers filling the IRIS building, the former paint factory. In parallel, award-winning Greek artist Stefania Strouza opens, on the first day of the three-day celebration programme, her solo exhibition Mystery 87 I My Sea Journey, I My Land Claim at the Old Oil Mill Factory, while the exhibition Mystery 151 Α Rave Down Below with works by an international group of artists curated by Panos Giannikopoulos continues.
ARKOPOLIS, the “Ark of eternal youth” created for the city by the Belgian TimeCircus collective, becomes on Saturday, 16 December, the focal point of an all-day celebration that includes screenings, workshops, music and original activities, curated by the Elefsina youth group Cultterra.
The Mystery 125 Elefsina Community Orchestra & Choir, curated by Aleksandar Caric and in collaboration with local communities and structures of Elefsina, takes place on Sunday, 17 December: a musical parade in the city, culminating in a festive concert at the Eleourgiki Industrial Complex. In addition, the annual cycle of happenings Mystery 100 Sacred Songs, curated by Lambros Liavas, concludes a day earlier with a talk and – as always – a concert of traditional music about the cycle of time and festivities.
The programme also includes workshops for children, educational masterclasses by renowned filmmakers, and a Surprise, unannounceable, that completes the gesture of the Opening Ceremony. The three-day event is marked by lighting interventions on iconic city landmarks by the internationally acclaimed Eleftheria Deco, and a video installation by the distinguished filmmaker Eva Stefani with fragmentary recordings of unexpected personalities.
The celebratory closing is completed on Sunday evening, 17 December, with an unexpected “sunset” on the horizon of the Gulf of Elefsina.
An extraordinary three-day tribute to everything Tangible and Intangible the European Capital of Culture leaves behind in the city, so that its legacy will continue to thrive for years to come.
Stay tuned for the detailed programme!
The actions Mystery 111 Eleusis Terracotta Army and Mystery 31 THE ELEUSINIANS are realised in the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Greece 2.0 with funding from the European Union – Next Generation EU.
THREE-DAY PROGRAMME
FRIDAY 15 DECEMBER
Axis PEOPLE / SOCIETY
18:00 | Old Oil Mill Factory
Venue opening
Opening of the exhibition «Mystery 87 I My Sea Journey, I My Land Claim»
by Stefania Strouza
20:00 | Cine Eleusis
Venue opening
Premiere of the documentary «Mystery 31 The Eleusinians» by Filippos Koutsaftis. In the framework of IN SITU REALITIES: Eleusis Documentary Festival.
(invitation only)
21:00 | Old Oil Mill Factory & Iroon Square & Laou Square
Open-air screening of the documentary «Mystery 31 The Eleusinians» by Filippos Koutsaftis.
In the framework of IN SITU REALITIES: Eleusis Documentary Festival.
(free admission)
SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER
Axis ENVIRONMENT
12:00 – 18:00 | ARKOPOLIS
ARKOPOLIS FESTIVAL by the Cultterra youth group & TimeCircus
Hip Hop, Skate, Rollers, bmx, Finger Skate, Screenings, Crafts
«Mystery 172 A Dancing Journey» by Still Pilgrim Paradox
13:00 | ARKOPOLIS – Skatepark
Venue opening – Special event
15:00 – 22:00 | Cine Eleusis
IN SITU REALITIES: Eleusis Documentary Festival
15:00 | Μasterclass: «The moving image as a starting point for actions with social impact» with Menelaos Karamaghiolis
17:00 | «Mystery 69 Greekies» by Menelaos Karamaghiolis (premiere)
20:00 | «The Wheat on the Shirt» by Yiannis Kanakis, Yiannis Panayiotarakos, Anna Psarra (premiere)
21:00 | «The Eleusinians» by Filippos Koutsaftis (free admission)
15:00 – 21:30 | X-Bowling Art Center
«Mystery 100 The Sacred Songs» curated by Lampros Liavas
15:00 | Conference «Rituals of the Winter Solstice»
20:00 | Concert «…means Christmas!»
22:00 | Eleourgiki Industrial Complex
Venue opening
Grand DJ party for the Closing Ceremony with AD MARK, ELIOT, FO, THANASIS KARANIKAS, and IRINI KARAOGLOU.
SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER
Axis LABOUR
12:00 | Canteen art hub
Venue opening
OPENING «Immersion, an unexpected set»
13:00 | IRIS Factory
Venue opening
Opening of the exhibition «Mystery 111 Eleusis Terracotta Army» by Juan Sandoval. An exhibition as a tribute to the people who worked and still work in Elefsina.
15:00 – 22:00 | Cine Eleusis
IN SITU REALITIES: Eleusis Documentary Festival
15:00 | Μasterclass: «Approaching the subject matter in documentary» with Filippos Koutsaftis
17:00 | «Dark Waters» by Marianna Economou (premiere)
«Sportzal» by Pavlos Kosmidis (premiere)
20:00 | «The Eleusinians» by Filippos Koutsaftis (free admission)
19:00 – 21:00 | Iroon Square & Eleourgiki Industrial Complex
«Mystery 125 Elefsina 2023 Community Orchestra & Choir» by Aleksandar Caric, with the participation of more than 150 residents of Elefsina
19:00 | Parade | Starting point: Iroon Square
20:00 | Concert | Eleourgiki Industrial Complex
21:30 | Canteen art hub
CLOSING «Immersion, an unexpected set»
Parallel Activities
15 – 16 – 17 December
17:00 – 21:00 | Old Orfeas Cinema
«Mystery 110 Orfeas» video installation by Eva Stefani
Friday 15 December
18:00 – 23:00 | Old Oil Mill Factory
«Mystery 151 A Rave Down Below» group exhibition curated by Panos Giannikopoulos
«Mystery 6 Paradise» light installation by Flux Office
17:00 – 20:00 | Leonidas Kanellopoulos Cultural Centre
«Mystery 8 European Eyes on Japan: The Return of the Spring and Other Rites of Transition» photography exhibition by Antonis Theodoridis. Produced by 2023 Eleusis with Mikiko Kikuta supported by the EU-Japan Fest Committee
17:00 – 20:00 | ΟSΕ – Elefsina Old Railway Station
«Mystery 66 Voices in the City» – Cultterra, γνωριmeet the locals installation by Lampros Tyrlis
Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 December
13.00 – 20:00 | Old Oil Mill Factory
«Mystery 151 A Rave Down Below» group exhibition curated by Panos Giannikopoulos
«Mystery 87 I My Sea Journey, I My Land Claim» art exhibition by Stefania Strouza
13:00 – 20:00 | Leonidas Kanellopoulos Cultural Centre
«Mystery 8 European Eyes on Japan: The Return of the Spring and Other Rites of Transition» photography exhibition by Antonis Theodoridis. Produced by 2023 Eleusis with Mikiko Kikuta supported by the EU-Japan Fest Committee
13:00 – 20:00 | ΟSΕ – Elefsina Old Railway Station
«Mystery 66 Voices in the City» – Cultterra, γνωριmeet the locals installation by Lampros Tyrlis
Activities for Children & Teenagers
In the framework of IN SITU REALITIES: Eleusis Documentary Festival
Friday 15 December
18:00 – 20:00 | Canteen art hub
«Mystery 156 Elefsina Stories», idea-inspiration by the Exile Room
Educational programme for teenagers (reservation required)
Saturday 16 December
11:00 – 15:00 | Canteen art hub
«Mystery 156 Elefsina Stories», idea-inspiration by the Exile Room
Educational programme for teenagers (reservation required)
17:00 – 19:00 | Canteen art hub
«QUEEN WITHOUT LAND» by Asgeir Helgestad
«Mystery 149 Transition to a Climate-Neutral Future» by Maria Leonida
Screenings for children (free admission)
Sunday 17 December
11:00 – 15:00 | Canteen art hub
«Mystery 156 Elefsina Stories», idea-inspiration by the Exile Room
Educational programme for teenagers (reservation required)
17:00 – 19:00 | Canteen art hub
«BIKE BIRD» by Kari Klyve-Skaug & Odveig Klyve
«LOUIS AND LUCA – MISSION TO THE MOON» by Rasmus A. Sivertsen
Screenings for children (free admission)
Admission to the screenings in the main hall at Cine Eleusis is by reservation via ticketservices.gr and at the festival venue in Cine Eleusis.
The income of the events will be donated to the Association of People with Disabilities of West Attica and the Friendly Nest – Love Center of Elefsina Admission to the other events is free unless stated otherwise.
The programme is subject to change.
Visit the Info Point at the Old Town Hall or 2023eleusis.eu for more information.
