Onassis Culture
Culture is not just art; it’s a way of life
Onassis Culture, centered around the Onassis Stegi, includes theatrical and dance performances, art exhibitions, conversations, lectures, publications, and a vibrant digital presence. It sparks discussions about what’s currently happening, what should be happening, and what we hope to see unfold in Athens, Alexandria, New York, Santiago – in short, all around the world.
Art remains colorless if it stays trapped inside. Culture, as the Onassis Stegi understands it, gets out and travels through the city, goes down to the center of Athens and advocates for it as a diachronic, but also living place, a space for the fermentation, collision and exchange of ideas. Onassis AiR, an artistic residency program situated in the center of Athens, in which all participating residents can interact as equals, without the pressure of time, work and deadlines, represents the epitome of the Foundation’s philosophy: that the conditions for creation must be ensured. Time for ripening allows talent to break free and develop. Thanks to the support of the “Onassis Stegi Outward Turn” program, Greek artists are reaching out to international audiences. Since 2011, more than 100 productions and co-productions in theater, dance, and music by the Onassis Stegi have staged over 1,000 performances in 56 countries and approximately 200 cities around the world.
With respect for the past, yet intent on avoiding nostalgia or idealization, Onassis Culture sketches the future, seeks the energy and momentum in every corner and patch of light in the city, encourages talent and energy, introduces people to one another and is constantly looking for what sets them apart, what affects them, what has meaning, what will in the end change the city’s particular way of being. At the same time, it speaks up, challenges injustices, advocates, and takes a stand against anything that stands in the way of freedom, democracy, and basic human rights. From the heart of the city, the message spreads far and wide. The local becomes global, and the global becomes local.
