“Colors Against Bullying” 1st Lyceum of Elefsina

The “Colors Against Bullying” initiative took place as part of the ongoing “Art in School” project by Cultterra, implemented in collaboration with schools in the Thriasio Plain area.

The project aims to empower students' creative expression, enhance the aesthetic of school spaces, and cultivate a spirit of collaboration and creativity. Through workshops and participatory artistic activities — with a focus on mural creation — students, alongside artists and educators, co-create works that reflect their experiences, values, and concerns. The project strengthens the bond between the school community and the local society, encourages freedom of expression, and highlights art as a tool for education, participation, and social awareness.

For eight days, we had the opportunity to work with the 1st Lyceum of Elefsina. The project took place between March 14 and 28, during which we co-created two murals with the school’s peer mediation and anti-bullying team. It was the school that proposed the collaboration, and we were happy to begin creating together.

The process started in December with a two-hour “inspiration” session, where we explored the history of art with the students and discussed how artistic movements were shaped by human identity and the social context of each era. The students themselves guided the conception of the initial ideas for the murals.

One mural was the result of combining two visual works by students Michalis Kyriazidis and Lydia Kanellou — to whom we are especially grateful. The second mural was based on Keith Haring’s work Best Buddies (1987).

In an educational system that increasingly sidelines creative and artistic expression, we choose to stand in opposition. We saw firsthand how much the students miss this part of their daily school life. Students we didn’t expect to join approached us and became our teammates. Many told us it had been years since they last held a paintbrush. Some were afraid to express themselves artistically, others had ideas and talent, but the pressures of school and extracurricular demands kept them away.

Throughout these days, we trusted the process step by step and collectively decorated the school with two murals.

Special thanks to Despoina Karayiorgou, Deputy Principal of the 1st Lyceum of Elefsina.
We also thank 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture for providing materials.

Project Coordination & Curation: Fiorinda Tsenai and Danae Christoudi (Cultterra)