Over 23,000 visitors attended the Art Explora Festival in Greece
by Art Explora Festival 18 Oct 03:30 AEDT
3-12 October 2025
From 3 to 12 October, the Art Explora Festival anchored for the first time in Piraeus, bringing together 23,000 visitors around its unique museum boat, its exhibition pavilions and performances live from the quayside selected by Katerina Tselou, Greek curator.
Key Figures - Piraeus
- 23,000 visitors in total
- Close to 1,000 school children engaged during weekdays for specific visits
- Over 500 participants in workshops open to family during weekends
- 70 participating artists from Greece and beyond
Highlights of the Programme
The Museum Boat: a one-of-a-kind cultural experience
Moored at the E8 Gate, the 47-metre-long, world largest sailing catamaran offered visitors immersive experiences, allowing them to journey across the Mediterranean:
- A Mediterranean sound odyssey, an 11-minute immersive audio experience created by IRCAM - Centre Pompidou, exploring the voices, rhythms and landscapes of the region;
- Mediterranean Wonders, a series of virtual reality experiences developed with Ubisoft, taking visitors back in time to wander about the streets of Alexandria and Venice at their golden age.
Living the Mediterranean experience from the Louvre collections to contemporary artists from the region
On the quayside, visitors explored three large-scale exhibitions:
- Present, developed in collaboration with the Louvre Museum, highlighting the representation of women in Mediterranean civilisations through a spectacular 16-metre LED tunnel;
- Under the azure, curated by Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel and Blanche de Lestrange, featuring works by Etel Adnan, Simone Fattal, Joan Miró, Anri Sala, Marisa Merz and others;
- Undertow, a photographic exhibition curated by Amanda Abi Khalil and Danielle Makhoul (TAP), presenting contemporary artists from the Arab world exploring migration, exile and hospitality.
A vibrant, tailored live programme curated by Katerina Tselou
Every evening, the festival's Agora hosted performances, concerts and screenings celebrating Greek and Mediterranean creativity. Among the highlights were contemporary dance performances such as Boléro by Andonis Foniadakis, Untitled (Figures) by Lenio Kaklea, and Glorious Epic by Sofia Mavragani; Rebetiko Night by Manolis Pappos evoking the musical soul of Piraeus, The Odyssey by Kyriakos Kalaitzidis & En Chordais, as well as New World Folk Experience, which blended traditional motifs with contemporary electronic sounds. An entire evening dedicated to the maritime tradition of the Cyclades thanks to Archipelago Network and its Echoes of Aegean. Visitors gathered around the same table enjoyed flavors and sounds from the Aegean, rare archival footage from the Cyclades, and much more. The programme culminated with the Scola Society Celebration, a collective and intergenerational event that transformed the port into a joyful open-air dance floor. Collaborations with key cultural institutions such as the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and the Athens Biennale further enriched the programme's scope. Throughout the week, workshops such as Instantaneous Geometries by Katerina Stefanidaki & Zafos Xagoraris*, along with creative sessions for families and children, welcomed local communities, schools and associations, reaffirming the festival's mission to make art a shared experience for all.
An initiative met with outstanding cross-border and local support
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the Hellenic Republic and the Attica Region, this major stopover was made possible thanks to the support of the Festival's main partner Accor, the Municipality of Piraeus, New Metropolitan Attica S.A., DIMAND Group, Piraeus Tower SA, and the European Union (Creative Europe).
Frédéric Jousset, Founder & President of Art Explora, said: "After Marseilles, Malaga, Tangier, Venice and many more, Piraeus was the 10th stop in our Mediterranean odyssey to bring art to the many. Seeing thousands of visitors, families, and young people step aboard the museum boat, explore the Louvre experience, and take part in such a rich and diverse live programme made this milestone truly unforgettable. This stopover captures the essence of Art Explora: making art accessible to all, entirely free of charge, fostering dialogue between communities, and celebrating creativity across borders. The warmth and enthusiasm of the Greek public reaffirm our belief that art can unite people beyond languages and horizons and strengthen our resolve to continue this collective adventure across the Mediterranean and beyond."