BusArt the etymology
Bus = 1. Bus, the most popular means of transport. 2. In computer language, a “bus” is a data bus that coordinates the subunits of a computer and thus its basic functions
Art
Busart is all of these! An avenue of culture on which artists meet cities, and communities meet artistic creation. A channel of interconnection between these four elements, structural components of any cultural initiative that aspires to operate with a sustainable development perspective.
The basic principle that governs all our action is Cultural Democracy, the reconstitution of cultural capital, in which no marginalized and displaced voice is silenced.
What we do
We invest in Artistic Citizenship & Art of Sociability and Aesthetics of Care to empower artists and communities.
We believe in Poetics, the capacity of art to poeticize and transform the world, positively transforming the cities and communities that give them life.
We operate on the basis of the Glocal (Interlocal) character of contemporary reality, the interweaving of the planetary and the local. By extension, we are committed and dedicated to the inherent potential of small and medium-sized cities to evolve from small dots on the geographical map into international centres of cultural development.
How we operate
Since its establishment in 2009, Busart has been systematically active in the fields of empowerment, curation and production of large-scale projects (European Capital of Culture), internationalisation and networking as well as curation and artistic production in the fields of contemporary performing and visual arts through artistic projects, festivals and collaborations.
It is a member of important European and international networks in the field, including the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts IETM and the International Network for the Mobility of Artists On the Move.
Background
- Between 2009 and 2011 Busart planned and implemented structured information and networking visits to important international events such as the Festival of Avignon (France, 2009-2010) and Fira Tarrega (Spain, 2011) as well as empowerment and networking seminars with the European scene. The programmes aimed at artists and cultural professionals.
- In 2013, it organized for the first time in Greece the IETM Plenary Meeting in Athens, gathering more than 500 programmers and artists from abroad in Athens.
- Between 2014-2016 Busart designed and edited the two bidbooks of Elefsina, which unanimously awarded the city the title of European Capital of Culture 2021.
- In 2022 and 2023 Busart designed, edited and implemented the respective editions of the international Culture 2030 Conference in the context of the 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture.
- In 2023 it designed, curated and implemented the Capital Connections capacity building programme, giving 20 artists the opportunity to receive one-year mentoring in the areas of interface with the European scene in collaboration with Kelly Diapouli and On the Move, and dramaturgy in collaboration with Alexandros Mistriotis.
- In 2022 Busart conducted research in the performing arts, entitled “Peristeri is in Fashion this year” engaging through oral history the dressmaking community of the Western suburb of the Attica region.
- In 2023 it curated and organized the group art exhibition “Mystery Theta” giving the platform to 14 students of the School of Fine Arts to present works, the fruit of years of research in the city of Elefsina, incorporating the view of a new generation of creators in the aesthetic contemporary narrative of the city.
- At the end of 2023, Ready Steady Go!, a 10-month training/travel programme for 14 artists and cultural professionals from the Mediterranean in collaboration with Roberto Cimetta Fund, Liv.in.g (IT), Al Badil (TU) and Amuni (FR).
Who we are
The two main members of Busart, Kelly Diapouli and Giorgos Skianis are curators, who live and work between Elefsina and Larnaca.
Kelly Diapouli from 2016 to 2020 was the artistic director of the Eleusis 2021 European Capital of Culture (later 2023 ELEVSIS European Capital of Culture) and from 2022 until today she is the artistic director of Larnaca 2030 European Capital of Culture – Candidate City.
From 2004 to 2017, George Skianis was in charge of the visual art installations in the framework of the Aeschylus Festival, organized by the Municipality of Elefsina. Since 2022 until today he is the president of Busart.