Eleusis 2023: Europe's Smallest Cultural Capital Closes with Four Contemporary Art Shows

Eleusis, Greece, concluded its year as European Capital of Culture 2023 with a three-day closing ceremony that paradoxically opened new cultural spaces. The smallest capital ever, with a lower budget than predecessors, it staged 130 events numbered as 'Mysteries.' The closing ceremony, titled 'Mystery 1 – Closing: Opening,' featured an industrial Persephone lowered into the underworld by a crane on December 17, 2023. Four contemporary art exhibitions remain open until early 2024. At the old olive oil mill, Stefania Strouza (Athens, 1982) presents a large installation inspired by Medea, while at the former IRIS paint factory, Juan Estevan Sandoval (Medellín, 1972) displays terracotta helmets as a memorial to workers. The 'Leonidas Kanelopoulos' Cultural Centre hosts Antonis Theodoridis (Drama, 1984) photography series 'Eyes on Japan,' with campy scenes including a smartphone on a dinner plate. The collective show 'A rave down below' at the old mill features Yorgos Sapountzis (Athens, 1976) video of people triggering car alarms to dance. Renovated venues include the old mill, IRIS factory, a historic cinema with removable roof, a seaside building for workshops, and an eco-friendly wooden arch structure 'the Ark' with a skate park. The initiative aimed to revitalize Eleusis, an industrial town near Athens with ancient sacred sites like the Telesterion and Plutonion, blending archaeology with post-industrial cool.