our vision
In 2024, the Art Explora Foundation introduces its flagship project: a museum boat and a traveling festival that will explore the seas and oceans around the world, offering unique artistic and cultural experiences. This unprecedented adventure aligns with the foundation's ambition to reduce cultural barriers and promote a broader and more democratic engagement with the arts.
An initiative of the Art Explora Foundation
Art Explora is an international foundation that inspires new encounters between arts and audiences – locally, nationally and internationally. Our imaginative, contemporary approach encourages new forms of access, participation and engagement with arts and culture, pushing boundaries with digital technology and mobile programmes. We work in partnership with artists, cultural organisations and communities, exploring all art forms, and creating unforgettable cultural experiences for everyone. Founded by entrepreneur Frédéric Jousset in 2019, Art Explora is a collective journey bringing together many partners and more than 1600 volunteers.
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© Wilmotte & Associés Architectes
A festival that embraces mobility
The Art Explora Festival is a traveling cultural festival, accessible to all, developed in collaboration with local institutions across the Mediterranean to offer unique cultural and artistic experiences to diverse audiences. The festival unfolds aboard ARTEXPLORER, the world's first museum boat, as well as on the docks and in the host cities. From spring 2024 to spring 2026, the festival will travel to over 15 countries in the Mediterranean.
Because mobility is a powerful tool to reach new audiences, and with 60% of the world's population living within 60 kilometers of a coastline, we have created the Art Explora Festival. With its museum boat ARTEXPLORER, it invites everyone to participate at every stage of the project.
Symbolizing escape and discovery, the boat embodies a unique blend of adventure and imagination. Its journey connects worlds, individuals, and cultures, creating new opportunities for co-creation, participation, and exchange.
A Curatorial Collaboration
At each stop, a curator from the country organizes a unique and diverse cultural program, exploring themes directly related to the local context in partnership with local institutions, cultural organizations, and associations.

Nadine Attalah is a curator and art historian based in Paris. Her research focuses on exhibitions of Egyptian women artists during the time of Nasser. She has collaborated with various art institutions and galleries in Europe and Lebanon. She is one of the seven members of the collective Madrassa, which aims to experiment and study collective practices and cross-border collaborations as a means to resist and confront the challenges of artistic creation in the Middle East and Africa.

Amanda Abi Khalil is an independent curator based between Paris, Beirut, and Rio de Janeiro. She is the founder of the curatorial platform TAP (Temporary Art Platform), which engages in contextual, public, and social practices in contemporary art. She has organized exhibitions at CENTQUATRE PARIS, Paço Imperial in Rio de Janeiro, and the French Institute in Beirut.

Branka Benčić is an art historian and exhibition curator based in Croatia. She is the director of MMSU / MoMCA Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rijeka. She was the curator of the Croatian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2017 and co-curator of the Croatian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2018. She has also organized exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, the Pula Film Festival, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, and the Garis & Hahn Gallery.

Ceren Erdem is a curator based in Istanbul. She has been the director at Dirimart Gallery and responsible for the exhibitions of the 9th and 10th Istanbul Biennials. She has also curated exhibitions at apexart, Fondazione MAXXI, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, Wallach Art Gallery, as well as Pasinger Fabrik and Seoul Art Space Geumcheon.

Laila Hida is an artist and independent curator based in Marrakech. She is the founder of the independent platform for creation, dissemination, and cultural and artistic exchanges, LE 18 in Marrakech. She has also participated in exhibitions at Documenta Kassel, the Dakar Biennale, and the Dar Bellarj Foundation.

Since its establishment in 2005, the Kamel Lazaar Foundation for Art and Culture has launched several initiatives and projects, whose local and regional impact highlights the vitality and diversity of the cultural scene in the region. The foundation supports research, publication, and exhibition initiatives, and regularly organizes debates, symposiums, and seminars. It supports the production and mentoring of artists through residencies and workshops and develops partnerships and exchanges with international cultural actors to promote Tunisia as a hub for contemporary art.

Martha Kirszenbaum is an exhibition curator and art critic based in Paris and Los Angeles. She was the curator of the French Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2019, represented by Laure Prouvost, and she founded and directed Fahrenheit in Los Angeles. She has organized exhibitions at the ICA, Palais de Tokyo, Kistefos Museum, Beirut Art Center, and the Pejman Foundation.

Chus Martínez is a curator, art historian, and writer based in Basel. She is the director of the Institute of Art at FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel, where she also oversees the exhibition space Der Tank. She is also the artistic director of Ocean Space in Venice, a space led by TBA21-Academy that promotes education, research, and advocacy for the oceans through the arts.

Filipa Oliveira is a curator based in Lisbon. She has been the visual arts programmer and curator for the city of Almada since 2018. She co-curated the fourth edition of the Coimbra Biennial in 2021 and served as the artistic director of the Fórum Eugénio de Almeida in Évora from 2015 to 2017. She has also organized exhibitions at Jeu de Paume and the São Paulo Biennial.

The Island Club is a non-profit exhibition space whose programming is overseen by its founder, Christodoulos Panayiotou, an artist based in Limassol and Paris who represented Cyprus at the Venice Biennale in 2015. Since 2018, the space has hosted exhibitions by local and international artists, as well as film screenings, performances, readings, and book launches.

Rhizome is a contemporary art gallery based in Algiers. Operating as both a commercial gallery and an independent artistic organization, Rhizome works to promote emerging contemporary artists, with a focus on Algerian art and its diaspora.

Spazju Kreattiv, Malta's National Centre for Creativity, has developed its programme around three fundamental pillars: artistic excellence, community outreach, and internationalisation. Produced by Fondazzjoni Kreattività, the programme of events comprises a series of creative and cultural events that take place primarily at St James Cavalier, Valletta, along with other strategic locations in Malta and Gozo. Part of the core initiatives, the season includes a visual and performing arts programme, an artist-in-residence strand, the only arthouse cinema in Malta, and a ŻiguŻajg series especially catered for children and families. The programme has garnered significant recognition, including the prestigious Best Artistic Programme award at the Arts Council Malta Awards, along with acclaim from various stakeholders in Malta and abroad.
Spazju Kreattiv Artistic Director, Daniel Azzopardi, will be the lead curator of the ArtExplorer stopover in Malta. Since assuming the position of Artistic Director in 2020, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the organisation's vision and strategy, curating an extensive annual programme featuring more than 500 events. Moreover, since 2010, Daniel has been active as a freelance entrepreneur, lending his expertise to various ventures in policy-making, artistic development, strategy planning and project coordination.

Katerina Tselou is a curator based in Athens. She co-curated and coordinated the curatorial team for the 4th Athens Biennale in 2013 and served as the curator of visual arts at the National Theatre of Greece. She has organized projects as an independent curator in Greece, collaborating with institutions such as the European Film Festival and the Theater of the South. She is also an advisor to the Deputy Minister of Culture in Greece.

Eugenio Viola is a curator and art critic based in Bogotá. He is the chief curator of the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá. He was the curator of the Italian Pavilion at the 59th edition of the Venice Biennale. He has also held positions as a curator at PICA in Perth and MADRE in Naples, where he curated numerous exhibitions.

Arnisa Zeqo is an art historian, curator, and educator based in Amsterdam. She is the artistic director of Rongwrong, a space dedicated to art and its theory. From 2015 to 2017, she worked at documenta 14 as the head of education programs (aneducation) in Athens and as the initiator of the "Society of Friends of Ulises Carrion" within the public program "Parliament of Bodies" in Kassel.

A project Committed to environmental sustainability
Art Explora is committed to a sustainable environmental and societal approach in both its programming and event organization. Supported by international experts in climate change mitigation and a network of partners, the Foundation strives to:
- Explore available local solutions to reduce our emissions
- Offset our carbon footprint
- Develop an awareness and support program for environmental issues
audiences
Engaging with audiences is a key focus for the Art Explora Foundation, aiming to experiment with new modes of access and participation. We foster a collaborative and co-creative approach with various partners to achieve ambitious goals in reaching out to audiences. Our objectives include:
- Addressing all audiences and promoting inclusivity for all participants.
- Encouraging projects that involve audiences from the outset, starting with the conception of content.
- Facilitating exchanges and collaboration with artists through creative workshops and artistic practices.
- Giving voice and involving marginalized communities in public spaces.
The programming of activities and projects for audiences is developed in collaboration with local cultural institutions and organizations in the fields of education, associations, and social spheres, taking into account the cultural, sociological, demographic, and linguistic diversities of the audiences.
