Retrospective Exhibition of Painting: George Hadjimichalis – Works from 1966-2022
Research
George Hadjimichalis is arguably the greatest living Greek painter, and we are fortunate to have him among us. He began his formal studies in England at St. Martin’s School of Art, where he was accepted at seventeen due to his impressive collection of works created since he was fourteen.
Hadjimichalis has enjoyed a remarkable career, which was celebrated in a two-part retrospective exhibition at the Benaki Museum, Piraeus 138. This exhibition was a resounding success, attracting 12,000 visitors before it closed on January 14, 2024.
Since the end of 2022, we have started collaborating with him to enhance his online presence, laying the groundwork for our partnership. Working with an artist requires a unique approach, unlike handling an ordinary digital account. Promoting an art brand requires a different strategy. We started meeting in December 2022 at his studio, “Image Workshop in Crisis,” which is also his home in Keramikos. Over the course of about six months, George Hadjimichalis patiently introduced me to his work during each meeting. He immersed our entire team in the philosophy we needed to adopt to ensure the digital representation truly reflected him and his art.
George Hadjimichalis is a master at setting up exhibitions. He meticulously prepared the floor plans for both parts of his retrospective exhibition, curating every detail with great precision. We toured the exhibition space several times before the setup to ensure everything was perfect.
The retrospective exhibition at the New Benaki Museum, featuring the works of George Hadjimichalis, was organized in a unique and evolving manner. While it started with a chronological presentation of the artist’s works, it soon transitioned into a more distinctive arrangement. The periods of Hadjimichalis’s career were separated using red DMC thread, specifically code 666, a thread that is rare in shops due to the special symbolism associated with its number.
During the exhibition installation at the New Benaki Museum, we had countless meetings, each lasting many hours. It’s impossible to quantify the man-hours put into a project like this because it simply wouldn’t capture the effort involved. We spent endless hours on the phone discussing how to present our data while also conducting extensive research into the life and works of George Hadjimichalis. Our research was greatly supported by the ever-living archive of George Hadjimichalis, who generously provided all the data we needed, solving our every question with great patience and perseverance.
Content Creation
After a lengthy period of meetings, we started proposing ideas. George Hadjimichalis, always extremely receptive and supportive, sculpted each “brilliant” idea carefully, ensuring it could be realized and integrated into the entire project. Aiming to create genuinely significant material to accompany the exhibition, we produced a series of videos titled “One Work, One Story,” featuring six influential figures discussing George Hadjimichalis. The selection of these individuals was his own, consisting of people he has worked with and deeply appreciates. These notable figures, including Andreas Kourkoulas, Dionysis Kapsalis, Anna Kafetsi, Charalambos Bakirtzis, Nikos Daskalothanasis, and Kirillos Sarris, spoke about him in their own spaces. Click on the photo below to watch one of these videos:
The retrospective exhibition at the New Benaki Museum, housed in the stunning building designed by Maria Kokkinou and Andreas Kourkoulas, showcased a comprehensive collection of works by the artist George Hadjimichalis. This endeavor was particularly challenging as it involved gathering pieces from various private collections, some held by major collectors for many years. However, driven by Hadjimichalis’s unwavering motto, “Victory at any cost,” the exhibition overcame numerous obstacles and was a resounding success.
One of the highlights of the exhibition, featured in Part A, was a series of works titled “The Battle of Dien Bien Fou.” This detailed piece reflects Hadjimichalis’s admiration for General Giap, encapsulating the intense and historic conflict with remarkable artistic expression. The exhibition, through its meticulous curation and display, offered visitors a deep and insightful look into Hadjimichalis’s profound and dynamic body of work.
One afternoon, as I walked out of Hadjimichalis’ house, my arms were loaded with catalogues and invitations to past exhibitions of his work at prestigious venues like the MoMA in New York and the Venice Biennale. Reflecting on the significance of the work entrusted to us, we realized the necessity of creating additional content that would serve as both a testament and a valuable archive for this exhibition.
One afternoon, as he guided us through the exhibition using his designed floor plans, we recorded his unique journey narration. We decided to make this audio recording available via a QR code at the exhibition. Visitors could scan the code with their mobile phones and take the audio document with them at the end of the tour, as a “souvenir” of their visit, allowing them to listen to it anytime they wished. This audio document added a communicative element to the exhibition, appealing not directly to the sense of sight but indirectly through the sense of hearing. It provided a special memento that visitors could enjoy, hearing the artist’s insights even after they had completed their visit.
Eventually, it was time for this remarkable project to go live in Athens. On September 20, 2023, the exhibition opened its doors, marking the beginning of visits. The building came alive with about 1,000 people of all ages arriving to see the much-anticipated Athens painting exhibition in person. A particularly moving moment was when Andreas Kourkoulas greeted us excitedly as his creation was bursting with life. Truly, the greatest art is the art of life.
Performance Ads
The advertising campaigns were meticulously crafted following extensive research to design compelling materials to promote the exhibition online, driving ticket sales through social networks. This approach has become increasingly familiar with integrating web and e-commerce into our daily lives.
Below, you can view a video created by our team for the digital promotion of the exhibition. We handled the shooting, editing, sound design, and composed original music ourselves, leveraging our artistic background. The video made a significant impact and achieved a high conversion rate
We believe that, content creation transcends mere copywriting. It becomes precious when it offers unique insights and perspectives. While times may change, the concept of quality remains timeless. It may not always be readily available or come cheaply, but its essence persists.
At B2Square, we’re passionate about quality, down to the last syllable of every word we write, the smallest detail that perfects our posts and stories, and the final frame of every video. Quality content is essential for achieving successful awareness.
