2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture presents Mystery 95 Epiphany, the new artwork by Kostas Bassanos, that has been created in the public realm of Elefsina, at the existing pier on the city’s coastal front.
The idea for the work titled Epiphany emerged after the artist’s search for the elements that define Elefsina and the wider region, such as the unique, multi-layered historicity of the area and the city’s relationship with the landscape and the local residents. The art installation attempts to underscore some individual characteristics of the aforementioned elements and highlight a particular aspect of the public space, namely the pier as a symbol and a point of arrival, waiting and departure, which is directly linked to the city of Elefsina. Drawing on and referring to the inscriptions on tombstones or monuments, the artist uses the pier as a surface to write and engrave the following text in relief:
“LIFE IS THE WIND, LIFE IS THE SEA, LIFE IS THE FIRE; NOT THE EARTH, WHICH BECOMES A SHELL AND TAKES ON FORM. ALL FORM IS DEATH. ALL THAT IS REMOVED FROM THE CONDITION OF SUFFERING AND STIFFENS AMIDST THIS EVER-GLOWING, UNIFORM STREAM IS DEATH. WE ARE ALL BEINGS THAT HAVE BEEN CAUGHT IN A TRAP, TAKEN OUT OF THE STREAM THAT NEVER STOPS, FORMED TO DIE.”
The excerpt from Pirandello’s 1915 novella La Trappola (The Trap), used by the artist in its original language as an epitaph, reveals the fluidity of the human condition, linking life and death, arrival and waiting and departure, aspects of Elefsina’s historical and cultural background.
Mystery 95 Epiphany
Permanent work in public space
Location: Pier, Coastal front of Elefsina
Contributors:
Artist: Kostas Bassanos
Production: Potential Project
2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture
Supported by Elefsina Port Authority and Apostolos Kamarinakis
