Theater | Exhibition | Interdisciplinary Art Projects
Visual Arts / Photography | Education
2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture hosts a rich programme of events in Elefsina, while also inaugurating an Exhibition on the city itself at the Benaki Museum in Athens
October in Elefsina will be a month filled with theater, visual arts, interdisciplinary art projects under the light of the full moon, educational programmes for our younger visitors and open calls to artistic projects. 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture organizes a rich programme of events, open to all ages, while simultaneously inaugurating a major Exhibition on Elefsina at the Benaki Museum / 138 Pireos Str.
October kicks off with a Tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, which includes three theatrical performances and an interdisciplinary art project. Specifically, from September 30th and for six performances only, Mystery_13 I_Left Asia Minor, directed by Yolanda Markopoulou, is presented at the neighborhood of Synikismos in upper Elefsina, with the descendants of the historic neighborhood’s Asia Minor refugees as its protagonists. October 12 marks the return of Mystery_5 WORDS on the WALL: The City as a Reading, with various walls of the city being transformed into book pages, through projections of small-scale texts, inspired by the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Next up is Mystery_82 REBETIKO, presented on October 22at the X – Bowling Art Center. The theater play is an ode to the story of Asia Minor through the art of Puppet Theater, by the French Anima Theatre group, directed by Giorgos Karakantzas. The tribute also includes the presentation of Mystery_153 The Notebooks of Anzel Kourtian, a performance – testimony about the Armenian Genocide and the Asia Minor Catastrophe, based on the book of the same title by the heroine.
Mystery_62 Nights of Slowness – Discourses about Time will be held on October 9,under the directorial curation of Yannis Leontaris, in the courtyard of the church of Agios Nikolaos, within the city’s archaeological site, presenting innovative projects on the cinema of Bela Tarr, a concert by Mihaly Vig and interesting speeches by renowned guests, under the light of the full moon.
From October 13 to November 27, the Exhibition Mystery_29 Eleusis. Raw Museum by 2023 Eleusis will be hosted at the Benaki Museum / 138 Pireos Str. This emblematic project by the ECoC, curated by architect-museologist Erato Koutsoudaki, explores the city’s contemporary and unknown history. It is a journey through the city’s uniqueness and its Mysteries, through personal narratives in the form of talking portraits of locals and other persons who have linked their lives to the city and the presentation of objects from private collections, exhibited for the first time to the public. Co-organized by 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture and the Benaki Museum.
A legacy project of the visual arts exhibition Mystery_77 Behind the Theater by Andreas Lolis, co-organized last year by 2023 Eleusis in collaboration with Aeschylia Festival, the visual arts composition of marble reeds entitled “The opposite of forward” (Greek: “Το απέναντι του εμπρός”) now adorns the small courtyard of the Old City Hall of Elefsina.
October 23marks the completion of in situ sculptural installation Mystery_22 Straw falling on concrete floors by renowned visual artist, Kostis Velonis, “behind the Theater” of the Old Olive Mill in Elefsina. It is a contemporary visual arts ecosystem that draws inspiration from the mythological and historical tradition of Elefsina and is developed in three parts: “Anemometer,” “The Thighs of Demeter,” and “Persephone stumbled.” Co-organized by 2023 Eleusis and Aeschylia Festival.
Visual arts photographers will have the opportunity to submit applications until October 30 for the Open Call of programme Mystery_8 European Eyes on Japan. The project, which is implemented in collaboration with the organization EU Japan Fest, under the artistic supervision of Mikiko Kikuta, concerns the artistic residency of a Greek photographer in Osaka and then in Elefsina, and the presentation of the original photographs—the fruits of the aforementioned residency—which will be published and exhibited in Elefsina.
The educational event Mystery_52 Mystikit Elefsina – Educational Suitcase also kicks off in October, for all our young friends. The project will take place in schools across Greece and Europe, with primary and secondary school students getting acquainted with the vision and the goals of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture. Another major educational programme by the ECOC is inaugurated at the same time, Mystery_54 Mobile Workshop,in collaboration with the team of Syn Fan Lab. The project takes place at the schoolyards of Elefsina and entails brief workshops for first-grade primary school students to learn about new construction technologies.
For details of the 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture programme, please visit 2023eleusis.eu
Mystery_13 I_LEFT Asia Minor
#Theater
September 30, October 1, 2, 7, 8 & 9
Mystery_13 I_LEFT Asia Minor , directed by Yolanda Markopoulou, is a walking performance in the neighborhood of Synikismos in Upper Elefsina. It is mosaic of narrative fragments, composing a moving chronicle of the history of the Asia Minor refugees of Upper Elefsina and their descendants in the area. Audience and participants come into contact with the origin and heritage of the Asia Minor people through radios, televisions, music and videos-documents that have remained unsilenced for a hundred years—a live transmission that continues in perpetuity and is passed on to future generations. Behind the peeling walls, abandoned courtyards and newly built two-story buildings, a new version of the story is being revealed, presented for the first time. Part of the Tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
Free Admission
Mystery_62 Nights of Slowness – Discourses about Time
#Interdisciplinary Art Project
October 9
Mystery_62 Nights of Slowness – Discourses about Time returns, under the directorial curation of Yannis Leontarisin the emblematic courtyard of the church of Agios Nikolaos. The fourth edition of the series of original discussions includes a variety of events, such as the concert by Mihaly Vig, music composer for Bela Tarr’s films, the screening of a documentary by Hungarian director Kevine B. Lee on time management in cinema, an ephemeral thematic sculptural installation by students of the Department of Applied and Fine Arts of Florina, curated by Professor Angeliki Avgitidou, and a sound environment directed by Marilena Katranidou. The evening concludes with a discussion between Stratos Theodosiou, Professor Emeritus of the University of Athens and President of the Union of Greek Physicists and Dimitris Anagnostou, director and PhD researcher of Bela Tarr’s work, always under the light of the full moon.
Free admission. Pre-reservation required.
Mystery_5 Words on the Wall – The City as a Reading
#Interdisciplinary Art Project
October 12
Mystery_5 Words on the Wall – The City as a Readingis a series of projections of small-scale texts, transforming the city’s walls into book pages for a few hours, hosting rare excerpts of texts or poems and activating various parts of the city of Elefsina. The project’s third edition draws inspiration from the Asia Minor Catastrophe and is presented as part of the relevant Tribute.
Free admission
Mystery_29 Eleusis. Raw Museum
#Exhibition
October 13 – November 27
Opening: October 11
The city of Elefsina introduces itself to the general public with the Exhibition Mystery_29 Eleusis. Raw Museum at the Benaki Museum / 138 Pireos Str. An emblematic project by the organization of the Cultural Capital, on the city’s contemporary and unknown history, curated by architect-museologist Erato Koutsoudaki. An exploration of the fragments composing the phenomenon of ELEFSINA, and the asymmetrical challenges it has faced throughout time, a journey through its micro-history, its industrial development, its troubled labor, and its relationship with the arts and Aeschylus, as his iconic birthplace. A journey through the city’s uniqueness and its Mysteries, through personal narratives in the form of talking portraits of locals and other persons who have linked their lives to the city and the presentation of objects from private collections, exhibited for the first time to the public. Co-organized in collaboration with the Benaki Museum.
Free admission
Mystery_82 REBETIKO
#Theater
October 22
Mystery_82 REBETIKO by Anima Theatre (FR) and directed by Giorgos Karakantzas, is presented at the X – Bowling Art Center and is an ode to the story of Asia Minor through the art of Puppet Theater. With a survivor of the Asia Minor catastrophe as its central protagonist, REBETIKO tells the story of forced uprooting and fruitless survival, captured in the form of an Odyssey.A wandering displacement through space and time, which draws its material from earlier and contemporary refugee narratives, but also from the particular musical paths of their tradition. Part of the Tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
Admission with tickets
Mystery_77 Behind the Theater
#Visual Arts
With the mystical landscape of the Archaeological Site of Elefsina as the main protagonist, Andreas Lolis’ marbled and petrified reeds “grow” in the small courtyard of the Old City Hall, constituting a gentle intervention and an occasion for dialogue with the landscape, the city and time. With a strong spatial and conceptual separation, the enclosure of the Archaeological Site highlights the distance, the temporal distance of creation despite the timeless nature of the material.
Free entrance
Mystery_153 The Notebooks of Anzel Kourtian
#Theater
October
Mystery_153 The Notebooks of Anzel Kourtian is a performance – testimony about the Armenian Genocide and the Asia Minor Catastrophe, based on the book of the same title by the heroine. Through her narration, the universal human drama of war and displacement comes to life on stage, with Greeks, Armenians and Pontians, as well as every person who has experienced the pain of exile and death, identifying with the Kourtian. Performed by Christina Alexanian. Date to be announced soon.
Admission with tickets
Mystery_8 European Eyes on Japan
#Open Call
Applications until October 30
Mystery_8 European Eyes on Japan, a project by 2023 Eleusis, in collaboration with the organization EU Japan Fest, under the artistic supervision of Mikiko Kikuta, concerns the artistic residency of a Greek photographer in Osaka and then in Elefsina, and the presentation of the original photographs—the fruits of the aforementioned residency—which will be published and exhibited in Elefsina. The photographer will be selected by Kikuta. The open call is addressed to visual arts photographers from Greece.
Mystery_52 Mystikit Elefsina – Educational Suitcase
#Education
October 2022 – May 2023
Mystery_52 Mystikit Elefsina – Educational Suitcase is inaugurated in October, in schools across Greece and Europe. Students, ages 9 to 14, come into contact with the city of Elefsina and get to know the vision and objectives of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture through a complete Do-It-Yourself project and exploration kit, with the necessary equipment for research, field exploration, on-site observation and recording, inside and outside the school environment. In collaboration with the Very Young Contemporary Art team.
Mystery_54 Mobile Workshop
#Education
October 2022 – June 2023
Mystery_54 Mobile Workshop is inaugurated in October and includes brief workshops for first-grade primary school students to learn about new construction technologies. Both the educational and the practical parts of the workshop take place in the schoolyards of Elefsina, as part of the ΚΑΙΕΚ Program (Capacity Building and Applied Innovation Center), based on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 21st century skills and the electronic thinking of computers. In collaboration with the Syn Fab lab team.
Mystery_22 Straw falling on concrete floors
#Visual Arts
Until October 23
The space “Behind the Open Theater” of the Old Olive Mill in Elefsina transforms into a contemporary visual arts ecosystem through Mystery_22 Straw falling on concrete floors, by renowned visual artist Kostis Velonis. It is an in situ sculptural installation that draws inspiration from the mythological and historical tradition of Elefsina and is developed in three parts: “Anemometer,” “The Thighs of Demeter,” and “Persephone stumbled.” Co-organized in collaboration with Aeschylia Festival.
Free admission
2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture
Website: 2023eleusis.eu
Facebook: facebook.com/2023eleusis.eu
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E-mail: info@2023eleusis.eu
