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Programme
The first route of the museum ship will be the Mediterranean, an area of millennia of history and exchange, which has always mobilized and nourished the inspiration of artists, and naturally invites intercultural dialogue.
Discover the programme of activities on the quayside and in the towns: performances, concerts, conferences, screenings, workshops, meetings and other events.
Upcoming events
The "Undertow" exhibition
This exhibition explores the Mediterranean in the context of migration and exile, highlighting the work of emerging photographers from the region.
The "Under the azure" exhibition
Under the Azure is an exhibition paying tribute to the Mediterranean Sea, to the imagery it evokes, to the awe it inspires, and to the ancient and contemporary myths associated with it.
Mediterranean wonders
Embark on a journey to the Golden Age of Alexandria, Athens, and Venice! This brand-new experience, developed exclusively for the Art Explora Festival by Ubisoft, allows you to dive into the past at the heart of 3 iconic cities at the height of their splendor.
Mediterranean Sound Journey
Embark on a sonic Odyssey to discover the landscapes of the Mediterranean! Designed and produced by Ircam and Ircam Amplify for the Art Explora festival.
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Experiences on board the museum boat
Experience on reservation. Duration: 45 min.
The Present immersive exhibition
Experience on reservation. Duration: 1h00
Ngomez Nokass
Ngomez Nokass, a renowned Senegalese percussion and dance group based in Barcelona and specializing in traditional rhythms such as sabar, djembe, and mbalakh, will officially open the festival. Originally formed by eight members and now expanding to over 15, the group fuses traditional Senegalese percussion with the energy of dance, offering vibrant performances filled with rhythmic patterns that are part of a long and rich cultural heritage.
Miramizu
Amman-born and Barcelona based for the last years, Miramizu is an expert in fusing disparate musical worlds into vibrant journeys. Drawn to contrast, she thrives on the friction between softness and impact, light and low-end, emotion and electricity. For her dj set at Art Explora, she will guide audiences on a sonic journey inspired by the Mediterranean, navigating textures, rhythms, and cultural echoes that reflect our shared landscape and collective experience
res_ & Coral Canigó
res_ (antes res_és_nostre) is a sound art duo that investigates the intersection between electronic music, language and visual arts, understanding sound as cultural, historical and political material. For Art Explora they present a live show based on the sampling of medieval catalan choirs, whose voices are fragmented and processed electronically, generating a dialogue between archive, technology and collective body. Their performance will be joined by 40 singers from the Canigó Choir.
mad miran
Thriving on unpredictability, whether at a festival or an intimate club, mad miran’s connection to rave culture and unique blend of electronic beats guarantee a mesmerizing performance every time, marking her as one of the most exciting DJs to watch.
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Radio Alhara
Radio Alhara will join the programme of the festival with sporadic music transmissions at the village . Palestine becoming the soundtrack, the background of the Mediterranean.
Naïm Gnawa Ensemble
Naïm Gnawa Ensemble is a Moroccan traditional music ensemble based in Barcelona, specializing in the Gnawa repertoire. Led by maâlem Naim Issawa, the group performs in a large collective format rooted in ritual practice, combining percussion, ghaita trumpets and choral voices. Their music creates a shared, ceremonial experience where rhythm, repetition and collective energy play a central role.
Past events
In the Shadow of the Towers
A screening programme featuring new works by Phivos Philitas, Adonis Archontides and Androula Kafa, created for the exhibition The Right to Home: Diaries of Limassol’s Gentrification.
Trapped in Wordscapes and Staged Territories
A participatory poetry session hosted by artist Aggela Ioannidou, exploring how the transformation of cities affects individuals and their communities through the work of award-winning author Donna Stonecipher. Guests are invited to engage as much or as little as they wish by listening, reading, and sharing thoughts and experiences.
1953
1953, a dramaturgical exercise on the facticity of the present, reimagines the Rialto Theatre as a fluid space dissolving borders between stage and auditorium, inside and outside, day and night. Structured in three parts and lasting fifteen hours, from sunset to sunrise, it unfolds as a shifting landscape where the dramatised and the real intermingle. Its coordinates are set by the lives of scenographer Valentino Joseph and Julie the elephant, both born in 1953.
Open Studios: Tamara Al-Samerraei and Ghyzlène Boukaïla
Open Studio presentations by Tamara Al-Samerraei and Ghyzlène Boukaïla, artists-in-residence at Art Explora’s Mediterranean Crossed Residency programme in Cyprus. Al-Samerraei presents new paintings exploring memory, absence, and precarious spaces, inspired by makeshift studios and abandoned huts that echo a childhood home. Boukaïla presents a mixed-media installation linked to her lecture-performance Djebel al-Qāf — is it reachable?, on view 31 Oct–2 Nov.
1953: Night Works and Other Studies by Valentino Joseph
Bringing together sketches made in bed just before sleep, technical notes and sculptures maquettes that were never materialized, as well as a series of portrait studies culminating in a single painting, Pylon Art & Culture hosts the first solo exhibition of Valentino Joseph, seeking to shed light on another side of his multifaceted body of work. Opening on the second day of the Limassol Art Walks, the exhibition unfolds as both an epilogue and an autonomous continuation of the performance 1953 at the Rialto Theatre.
Necrogeographies: A walk around St Nikolaos Cemetery in Limassol
On November 1st and 2nd 2025, we invite you to Limassol’s old cemetery for a guided walk through its silence(d) grounds. Blending academic research with stories from those who sustain the cemetery, along with comparative material from our research in Greece, Denmark and Japan, we explore class-based, gendered and political necrogeographies. A reflective journey through social change, memory and care.
Exhibition Tour: The Right to Home
A walk through the exhibition The Right to Home: Diaries of Limassol’s Gentrification together with the artists and curator, exchanging insights and reflections on the works and themes of the project.
In the Shadow of the Towers
A screening programme featuring new works by Phivos Philitas, Adonis Archontides and Androula Kafa, created for the exhibition The Right to Home: Diaries of Limassol’s Gentrification.
Limassol: an open conversation about gentrification and culture
An open space for sharing and reflection, this conversation explores the impacts of gentrification on some of Limassol’s long-time residents and communities, as well as its cultural ecosystem. Local artists join academics, activists and social practitioners to exchange daily experiences and critical perspectives on the city’s ongoing transformation, while the public is invited to contribute their own views and stories.
Live concert: Something Messy, MUSHA, Mava + ΚαππαΧι + Nnocxela
A live concert of hip-hop, rock, and electronic music showcasing the talents of Limassol's underground scene. Held in the iconic EKA Group garage, the concert will be followed by an afterparty at the Tapper Bar.
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Your Face Sounds Familiar
This year marks a special milestone for the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) performers' community in Cyprus as they bring their much-loved talent show “Your Face Sounds Familiar” to a wider audience. For the very first time, within the framework of Art Explora Festival the event will be held in an outdoor public space, opening itself to the broader community and celebrating the creativity and spirit of the Filipino diaspora.
Jebel al-Qāf — is it reachable?
Ghyzlène Boukaïla’s Djebel al-Qāf — is it reachable? is a lecture-performance unfolding within an in situ installation, part waiting room, part forgotten checkpoint. Fragments gather around a mythical submerged mountain, echoing the threshold of the world in Islamic cosmology. Rooted in her film project Inner Sea Desire, the work drifts between stories, borders, and inner crossings. Installation on view 31 Oct–2 Nov, Performance on 2 Nov.
Secret
A nocturnal journey by Demetris Kolokotronis, recomposed with Stelios Ilchuk through sharp editing and a unique soundtrack. The footage captures Cypriot ecosystems: critters in caves, aquatic beings flashing or glowing in dark waters, legless and many-legged creatures moving across the dry landscape. Human presence remains only as that of an observer and explorer, another animal existing in parallel, in an ethereal time and space. In parallel, at the premises of the museum, the lecture “A history of Cyprus through its animals: introductions, extinctions, interactions and depictions in ancient art” will take place.
A History of Cyprus through Its Animals: Introductions, Extinctions, Interactions, and Depictions in Ancient Art
The history of humans and animals in Cyprus is long, complex, and fascinating. It encompasses numerous instances of introduction, extinction, and countless forms of interaction between animals and humans, right up to the present day. Join an interactive journey through time. Explore and discuss the extinction of Cyprus's endemic fauna, the introduction of wild and domestic animals, the evolution of their roles over time, subsequent extinctions, their presence in ancient art, and much more. As the objects on display in the museum demonstrate, the history and art of Cyprus are profoundly enriched by humankind's fascination with animals. In parallel, and throughout the day, the film Secret will be screened continuously in the museum.
A History of Cyprus through Its Animals: Introductions, Extinctions, Interactions, and Depictions in Ancient Art
The history of humans and animals in Cyprus is long, complex, and fascinating. It encompasses numerous instances of introduction, extinction, and countless forms of interaction between animals and humans, right up to the present day. Join an interactive journey through time. Explore and discuss the extinction of Cyprus's endemic fauna, the introduction of wild and domestic animals, the evolution of their roles over time, subsequent extinctions, their presence in ancient art, and much more. As the objects on display in the museum demonstrate, the history and art of Cyprus are profoundly enriched by humankind's fascination with animals. In parallel, and throughout the day, the film Secret will be screened continuously in the museum.
Frequently asked questions
The Art Explora Festival will take place from spring 2024 to spring 2026 in various Mediterranean cities.
Festival events take place both on the museum boat's quay and in heritage and/or emblematic sites in the stopover towns. To find out all about upcoming events in your town, consult our Agenda.
The Art Explora Festival offers a rich, multi-disciplinary program including visits to the museum ship, exhibition pavilions, virtual reality experiences, artistic performances, concerts, lectures, film screenings, creative workshops and meetings. You'll be able to discover local and international artists, as well as thinkers and cultural players exploring contemporary themes related to the Mediterranean region. To find out all about upcoming events in your city, consult our Agenda.
All Festival events are free of charge. Please note, however, that some events - such as workshops - require a reservation via the ticket office. Please consult the page dedicated to each event for more information on times and booking procedures.
To ensure that everyone has the best possible experience at the Festival, we have drawn up a visitors' charter listing a few good practices.
Yes, the boat is freely accessible on site. However, you can pre-book your time online on our website.
For reasons of safety and preservation of the boat, high heels and stilettos may not be worn on the boat.
To take part in the workshops and meetings offered during the Festival, you'll generally need to register in advance. Information on how to register will be available on the dedicated event page, where you can also find details of times and how to take part.
Yes, the Art Explora Festival also offers child-friendly activities, such as creative workshops specially designed for young participants. Take a look at the program to find out about events and activities for children and families.
The museum boat is open to all free of charge. To find out on which quay it will be moored, or to pre-book your slot, consult the page dedicated to your town.
Appropriate facilities have been set up on the Festival site for the reception and access of people with reduced mobility. The boat is equipped with a 1m-wide ramp, accessible to people with reduced mobility, but may require the accompaniment of a third party due to its gradient of over 6%. Access to the aft deck and immersive exhibition is possible. However, the upper deck is not accessible. Please inform us in advance of any special accessibility requirements, so that we can make the necessary arrangements.
Thank you for your interest in the Art Explora Festival! To find out more about our volunteer opportunities and to apply, please visit our "Become a volunteer"section of our website. There you'll find all the information you need about the roles available and the application procedure. We look forward to meeting you!
We're delighted to consider new partnerships for the Art Explora Festival. To find out how, please visit our dedicated page or write to us at contact@artexplora.org