The series of mid-career retrospectives of artists was inaugurated with one of the most important contemporary post-conceptual Greek artists. George Hadjimichalis was born in 1954. After a stay in London for six years (1971-1977) he settled in Athens, where he lives and works. The exhibition presented works of the past 15 years, mostly whole compositions of major dimensions on the border of installation, construction and painting.
“The selection of the inaugural point of this retrospective chronologically coincides with the initiation of an integrated examination, which is currently evolving still today. In that sense, the goal of this exhibition is not to present before the audience an image of a fulfilled course, but to cover explicitly a corporate journey, which is still developing its active dynamic into the present. George Hadjimichalis is a painter. The main characteristic of his work is the endeavour of creation- and not merely the description-of three -dimensional spaces, on the border of installation, construction and painting. Most of his works are based on texts, stories and documents of every sort. As a painter, that is as a creator of images primarily, he also involves other techniques or media, such as photography, video and silkscreen in order to develop and facilitate his narration. Thus, based on a text or story, the artist creates a particular work of art which most of the times consists of numerous and diverse elements (objects, photographs, painting easels etc.). Such a work often becomes the core of a wider entity of works, each one however maintaining its own autonomy.”
Nikos Daskalothanasis
Curated by Nikos Daskalothanassis
CATALOGUE
Editor: Nikos Daskalothanassis
Texts by: Nikos Daskalothanassis, Yehuda Safran, Frederick Gore, Peter Wollen, Athena Azina, Dionyssis Kavathas, Katerina Koskina, Charalambos Bakirtzis, Yannis Pikoulas, George Hadjimichalis
219 p., 29Χ24cm., repr., EMST, Athens 2001
Includes reproductions of the works
ΙSBN 960- 86713-3-7
Available for sale: price 23,48 Euros