t attempts to interpret the city as an exhibit, and is the first in a series of gestures in this direction that will follow throughout the year 2023. Elefsina is many things, all of which coexist in what is schematically called the DNA of a place. It is antiquity and the modern era, folk culture and the domestic refugees and migrants that enrich it, emblematic industry and arduous labour; its 2 relation to art; it is the contemporary banality of a typical provincial town of Greece, which nevertheless contains hidden unique and mysterious aspects. This may be true of any town, but it is always unique to each one. Above all, it is the people who make up the city’s core and turn its inhabitants into communities. The exhibition is designed to unfold on three levels and in multiple subject areas.
The first level adopts the logic of cabinets of curiosities, alluding to the origin s of museological practice and paying tribute to the collectors of Elefsina who obsessively preserve the evidence of its past. Rare finds and everyday objects of sentimental value become treasures to be discovered. The second level makes use of distinguish ed figures in the local community and people whose lives are inextricably linked to Elefsina as tour guides for specific subject areas, through filmed interviews shown as large – scale digital portraits. The third level treats the exhibition as a gallery and Elefsina as an exhibit, starting with engravings by European travellers of the 17th and 18th century and continuing with contemporary photographic interpretations of its emblematic landmarks and typical views.
