Building an international art gallery in Saint Petersburg.
Art Direction · Exhibition Design · Creative Production · International Collaboration
INTRO
When OIOIOI Gallery opened in Saint Petersburg, the ambition was clear: become one of the city’s most active contemporary art spaces in the city.
I joined the project to build the communication system around the gallery, develop its visual identity and coordinate the production of exhibitions from concept to opening night.
During the following two years we delivered around 80 exhibitions, music events and collaborations with international artists and brands.
Building the machine behind the gallery
Running an art gallery means much more than hanging artworks on a wall.
Every exhibition requires communication, logistics, documentation, installation, production and coordination between artists, collectors and suppliers.
I built many of the processes that allowed the gallery to operate at that pace.
My Contribution
• Design Direction
• Exhibition Design
• Exhibition Installation
• Graphic Design
• Artist Coordination
• Communication Strategy
• Archive Management
• Collectors Documentation
• International Shipping
• Press Office (three languages)
• Intern Management
Scaling creative production
Producing eighty exhibitions in two years meant developing repeatable systems.
Every new exhibition generated:
- invitations;
- catalogues;
- exhibition graphics;
- press material;
- collectors’ certificates;
- logistics;
- artwork installation.
Instead of reinventing the process every time, I gradually built a production workflow that allowed the gallery to move faster without compromising quality.
My Exhibition
The new gallery opened with my solo exhibition.
Twenty backlit panels.
A bold pop visual language.
The exhibition generated press coverage, strong public reactions and sold out.
It wasn’t simply a personal achievement.
It demonstrated that the gallery could immediately position itself as a relevant player within the city’s contemporary art scene.
What I learned
Creative organisations don’t grow because talented people work harder.
They grow because somebody designs systems that allow talented people to keep creating.
- 49 Events
- 28 Catalogs
- 25 Exhibitions
- 16 Artists
Responsible for the realization of all the products of communication in the gallery and the organization and production of exhibitions. The following is the list of one-year goals I met with the gallery.