Live programming
Each host city hosts a free, multi-disciplinary festival lasting around ten days. The program takes place on a large stage set up alongside the boat, as well as at emblematic sites and local institutions.
A curatorial collaboration
At each stopover, at Art Explora's invitation, a local curator of international renown develops a cultural program exploring themes directly linked to the local context, in partnership with local institutions, cultural organizations and associations.

Nadine Attallah is a curator and art historian based in Paris. Her research focuses on exhibitions of Egyptian women artists during the Nasser era. She has collaborated with various art institutions and galleries in Europe and Lebanon. She is one of seven members of the Madrassa collective, which aims to experiment and study collective practices and cross-border collaborations as a means of resisting and confronting the difficulties 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 with contextual, public and social practices in contemporary art. She has organized exhibitions at CENTQUATRE PARIS, Paço Imperial in Rio de Janeiro and the Institut Français in Beirut.

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

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

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

Since its creation in 2005, the Kamel Lazaar Foundation for Art and Culture has launched a number of initiatives and projects, the local and regional impact of which underlines the vitality and diversity of the region's cultural scene. The foundation supports research, publication and exhibition initiatives, and regularly organizes debates, symposia and seminars. It supports the production and accompaniment of artists through residencies and workshops, and develops partnerships and exchanges with international cultural players, in order to promote Tunisia as a hub for contemporary art.

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

Rosa Lleó is curator, founder and director of The Green Parrot organization. Since opening in Barcelona in 2014, it has established itself as a benchmark with numerous exhibitions, publications, residencies and events with local and international artists. Rosa has also organized exhibitions independently in institutions such as CA2M (Madrid), 1464 (The Hague) or Caixa Forum (Barcelona), among others.

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

The Island Club is a non-profit exhibition space curated by its founder, Christodoulos Panayiotou, a Limassol and Paris-based artist who represented Cyprus at the 2015 Venice Biennale. 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. Functioning as both a commercial gallery and an independent arts organization, rhizome works to promote emerging contemporary artists, with an emphasis on art from Algeria and its diaspora.

Spazju Kreattiv, Malta's National Creative Center, has designed its programme around three essential pillars: artistic excellence, community awareness and international openness. Managed by the Fondazzjoni Kreattività, programme comprises a series of creative and cultural events taking place mainly in St James Cavalier, Valletta, as well as in other strategic locations in Malta and Gozo. This includes a programme of visual arts and performances, artist residencies, Malta's only art-house cinema, and a ŻiguŻajg series especially dedicated to children and families. programme has received notable recognition, including the prestigious Award for Best Artistic Programme at the Arts Council Malta Awards, and has been acclaimed by various actors in Malta and abroad.
Daniel Azzopardi, Artistic Director of Spazju Kreattiv, will be primarily responsible for the Festival's Malta leg. Since taking up this position in 2020, he has played a central role in defining the organization's vision and strategy, developing an annual programme rich with over 500 events. In addition, since 2010, Daniel has been active as an independent contractor, lending his expertise to a variety of initiatives related to policy development, artistic development, strategic planning and project coordination.

Katerina Tselou is an Athens-based curator. She was co-curator and coordinator of the curatorial team for the 4th Athens Biennial in 2013, and 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 Theater of the South. She is also advisor to the Deputy Minister of Culture in Greece.

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

Arnisa Zeqo is an art historian, curator and teacher 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 head of education programs (aneducation) in Athens and as the initiator of the "Society of Friends of Ulises Carrion" at the programme public "Parliament of Bodies" in Kassel.
Live programming
The lively program includes performances, concerts, lectures, film screenings, dance shows, DJ sets, workshops and meetings on different themes, with a fresh approach at every stage.

Salaheddine Elbouaaichi

Salaheddine Elbouaaichi

Adrien Chupeau

Adrien Chupeau
The workshops
Engaging audiences is a major challenge for the festival, which aims to foster special encounters between art, artists and audiences. Mediation programs are adapted to all audiences, combining human and digital mediation. These include artist-led workshops, awareness-raising activities on contemporary Mediterranean issues, and off-site tours.
Weekend OCean
Ocean Weekends" are organized in each of the festival's host cities. They are part of the program, inviting researchers, scientists and artists to round-table discussions on the theme of the ocean and the climate emergency. The program is rounded out by speeches by inspiring personalities, as well as film screenings and broadcasts of sound works on these themes. The programme is part of the Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), which will be honored in Nice in June 2025 at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3).

Catherine Cattaruzza, I Can't Recall the Edges, 2016 - 2019