GEORGE KOKINES: LAYERS REVEALED
GEORGE KOKINES: LAYERS REVEALED
In my first year working at the National Hellenic Museum, I curated three exhibitions with complementary programming. The largest of these was the first-ever artist retrospective of the Abstract Expressionist George Kokines. This exhibition, “George Kokines: Layers Revealed,” incorporated more than 70 artworks and artifacts, including paintings, sketchbooks, and videos on loan. I conducted original research by interviewing family and friends and reading his previously unseen journals. I also worked closely with the artist’s daughter, collectors, and galleries he exhibited with to fully understand his oeuvre. The exhibition opening had the highest attendance in the museum’s recent history, and it drove a new audience to the museum that had never visited before.
Kokines’ artwork was large, colorful, experimental, and highly abstract. From the moment I saw it, I knew it would be important to bring his artwork to the community with a retrospective — his work was evocative and a strong example of the Abstract Expressionism art movement. Furthermore, he never got the credit he deserved during his lifetime, and an exhibition (his first-ever retrospective) would help cement his place in the artistic canon.
I wanted visitors to feel a part of Kokines’s artistic and personal journeys. Kokines’ use of color was so important in his artwork, so I wanted to use bold wall colors to differentiate parts of his story, complement the artwork, and add to the experiential environment. It would be a disservice to his art and his life to show his art on white walls. I worked closely with the exhibition designer to create an environment that brought his work to life.
Additionally, I made the choice to elevate Kokines’ personal life alongside his art instead of focusing strictly on his work, like a traditional retrospective might. Kokines’ life impacted his artwork, and his artistic career impacted his personal life. Particularly at a Greek-American museum, Kokines’ inner evolution regarding his ethnic identity was crucial to tell. We used narrative labels, photographs, videos, diaries, and sketchbooks to flesh out these intertwined stories.
The exhibition included more than 60 pieces of artwork, including 8-foot tall cement paintings, works on canvas, foam board, and paper, sketchbooks, journals, and video documentation.
“George Kokines: Layers Revealed” opened in September 2018. The National Hellenic Museum saw a major increase in visitors from the art community who were not previously part of the traditional visitor base. The opening reception experienced triple the number of attendees as previous opening averages as well.
