CIVIL SOCIETY: 282 PRACTICES
EDRA supporting the quality of life and the rehabilitation/integration process of disadvantaged individuals being at risk of social exclusion, as well as programs for the prevention & the sensitization of the community around mental health problems and the promotion of mental health in general.
Read more: www.edra-coop.gr
ART4MORE aims to connect Contemporary Art with Mental Health, raising public awareness and fostering dialogue around critical social and psychological issues.
In its 17th edition, the festival embraces the One Health approach, highlighting the profound interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health.
The initiative is addressed:
It is an annual two-day Festival held from 2007 to the present.
ART4MORE is an innovative International Arts Festival, linking contemporary Art with Mental Health, and raising awareness on social and mental health issues. The annual festival is conducted by K.S.D.E.O. “EDRA” since 2007, celebrating World Mental Health Day (10th October). The festival explores a different central social awareness issue each year through contemporary international artworks, including visual arts, music, film, drama, dance, architecture, new media, and design. (URL: www.art4more.org)
In 2024, the theme “One Health” invites us to a holistic exploration of the relationship between humans, animals, and the environment through visual art, BioArt, experiential educational projects, performances, workshops, and scientific talks.
The 17th International Festival of Art & Mental Health, ART4MORE 2024, recognizing the increasing disconnection of humans from their natural environment, proposed art as a catalyst for reconnection with nature and animals, as well as a powerful tool for cultivating empathy and ecological awareness. It was a journey of discovering our relationship with nature and animals. In recent years, people have become increasingly alienated from the natural world, living predominantly in urbanized areas. Interaction with animals helps us uncover new aspects of ourselves, reconnect with our human nature, and gain a deeper understanding of the world around us.
Through artworks and artistic events, the festival showcased the harmony, dynamics, and challenges within the human–animal–environment relationship, exploring the concept of One Health.
BioArt installations, One Health experiential educational projects, performances, workshops for children and adults, soundscapes, talks, musical journeys, and more were among the festival’s activities, embracing a holistic and collective approach to One Health through art and mental health advocacy.
By participating in the festival, visitors had the opportunity to experience groundbreaking artworks, hear from mental health professionals who shared insights on the healing power of nature, and engage with experts inspiring action toward a more sustainable world.
The festival featured:
BioArt exhibitions exploring the connection between the human body and the environment
Presentation of One Health experiential actions in collaboration with health professionals
Creative and therapeutic workshops for children and adults
Soundscapes and audiovisual works treating nature as a healing ally
Contributions by mental health professionals, environmentalists, and artists
This initiative supports social transformation by promoting accessibility to culture and giving voice to communities traditionally underrepresented in the artistic dialogue.
Festival URL: https://art4more.org/art4more-2024/
Main ART4MORE Website: www.art4more.org
ART4MORE throughout the time (Portfolio):
1st ART4MORE
6 October 2007 – Dutch Institute
The 1st Festival was organized by K.S.D.E.O. "EDRA", motivated by the disastrous fires in the Peloponnese and the difficult consequences on the psyche of the people.
• Photographic exhibition from the area
• Presentations from realized interventions
• Discussion on ways of intervention and psychological support for vulnerable groups
D.I.Y. - ART4MORE 2015, 10 & 11 October, Impact Hub Athens
TAILS OF THERAPY - ART4MORE 2014, 18-19 October, VRYSAKI
VISUAL STORYTELLING - ART4MORE 2013, 12-13 October, ΒΡΥΣΑΚΙ
Visual storytelling, art, communication, and learning, especially for children with learning difficulties.
TACTILE FESTIVAL- ART4MORE 2012, 12-14 October, Pop-Up123
Contemporary art forms are being explored with all senses; operating therapeutic in psychosocial rehabilitation and improving accessibility to culture for new target groups.
"TACTILE" Exhibition, with tangible projects and projects accessed via different senses:
Volunteer escorts are sighted, trained by the National Blind Association.
NON-PLACE ART - ART4MORE 2011, 7 - 9 October, The HUB Events
Non-Place Art Exhibition: 100 works of Greek artists and mental health units in post-its, white pages, moleskines, calendars, and any other surface. Return to primary forms and experimental art, as the art of "mentally ill" and development of a spontaneous "picture language" as a way of expression and an alternative therapeutic mental health recovery means.
Therapeutic Architecture - ART4MORE 2011, 7 - 9 October, The HUB Events
Workshop and Exhibition on Therapeutics Architecture projects in Mental Health Structures
SOCIAL DESIGN - ART4MORE 2010, 9-10 October, Yoga Bala / Art Gate
REPRESENTATIONS OF DIVERSITY - ART4MORE 2009, 9 - 11 October, Art House
Film, theater, and visual representations of diversity, involving the aspect of Greek and foreign artists.
Collaboration: International Film Festival RENDEZ VOUS WITH MADNESS (Canada), International Alternative Mediterranean CORTO DEL MED Festival (France).
ART4MORE 2008, 3-4 October, Art House
Two-day event: public awareness campaign, theatrical performances, film screenings, and music events.
Till this day:
At every Festival, the primary goal is to engage the public more broadly and connect remote regions to the ongoing dialogue about mental health. ART4MORE 2024 traveled and collaborated across Greece:
Athens
Metropolitan Park Antonis Tritsis
Saturday, October 12 & Sunday, October 13, 2024
Thessaloniki
September 28, 2024, in collaboration with Alzheimer Hellas
Volos
October 9–10, 2024, in collaboration with DIODOS AMKE
Tripoli
October 17–18, 2024, in collaboration with AMALTHEIA AMKE
Mytilene
October 18–19, 2024, in collaboration with the Department of Environment of the University of the Aegean and the General Hospital of Mytilene – “Vostanio” – Mental Health Sector
The festival has consistently received official support from key institutional bodies:
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Culture & Sports
Region of Attica
Municipality of Athens
Municipality of Agioi Anargyroi – Kamatero
It has also collaborated with a wide range of partners, including:
Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA)
Attica Psychiatric Hospital (Dafni)
Management Authority of “Antonis Tritsis” Metropolitan Park
Serafio City of Athens
Greek Graphic Designers Association
Panhellenic Association of the Blind
International Arts & Mental Health Festivals
Mental Health Organizations
Civil Society Organizations
Educational Institutions
Galleries & Museums
The music program of the festival has featured many renowned artists over the years.
Indicatively, some of them include:
Penny Baltatzi, Maria Papageorgiou, Vasilis Kazoulis, Natassa Bofiliou, Themis Karamouratidis, Gadjo Dilo, Stathis Drogosis, Vasiliki Karakosta, Iliana Tsapatsari, Encardia, GAD, Stelios Davaris, Joanna Drigo, Alexandros Goudas, Abbie Gale, Pop Eye, SELAS, TELSON, TRANSISTOR, VICTORY COLLAPSE, Efstathia, among others.
Cooperating associations 2024:
Media Sponsorship
Athens News Agency, Mega Channel, Athina 984, Mad ΤV & Mad Radio, Athens Voice, Eurocharity, Global Sustain, ελculture.gr, DIESI 101.3, EN LEFKO, eirinika.gr, deBop, culturenow.gr, forfree.gr, in2life.gr, Naftemporiki, Eleftheros Typos, Sportday, StarPress, NATURA, Apopsi, MAKEDONIA, thetoc.gr, avecnews.gr, Rizopoulospost, newpost.gr, livemedia.gr, monopoly.gr, iefimerida.gr, newsitamea.gr, athensvoice, sport8.gr, lay-out.gr, ygeia360.gr, Alteractive.gr, Psychografimata, culturenow.gr, flowermagazine.gr, zoosos, infokids.gr, press-gr, gynaika.gr, idradio. LIFO
Approximately 40 employees and 20 volunteers per year.
K.S.D.E.O. "EDRA"’s ART4MORE Festival has evolved over time and has been established in the field as the first Festival in Greece that links Art and Mental Health.
Utilizing these 9 years of experience, "EDRA" is the Coordinator of a five European organizations’ partnership for the approved project Networking European Festivals for mEntal Life Enhancement (NEFELE Project), implemented under the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
Actions:
Further results:
• Establishing a unique European network based in Greece
• The first European Festival was established in Greece
• Greek leadership body at the European level.
