X12. Temporary Exhibition 2 | “Helafi” at The Kino Museum, Frankfurt

Giant Film Promotion Paintings

Deutsches Filmmuseum, Frankfurt
30 September – 4 November 2001

Exhibition, scenographic, and graphic design, including the overall conception of the narrative space, for the exhibition
«Malerei und Druckgraphik griechischer Künstler für das Kino 1950–1975».

The exhibition presented the HELLAFI Collection, comprising 193 original, hand-painted giant film promotion artworks created on monumental surfaces within extremely short timeframes. Often exceeding 9 metres in height and 3 metres in width, these paintings were produced to cover entire cinema façades and functioned as immersive, urban-scale film announcements.

Beyond their immediate promotional role, the works encapsulate a broader history of visual communication, popular aesthetics, and cinematic culture from the golden era of Greek cinema. The HELLAFI collection has been recognised for its exceptional artistic, historical, and collectible value, documenting a now-lost tradition where painting, typography, and storytelling merged in public space.

The exhibition featured works by leading Greek poster artists, including
George Vakirtzis, Stefanos Almaliotis, Nikos Andreakos, Vaggelis Fenos, Costas Grigoriades, Costas Kouzounis, George Kouzounis, Nikos Nikolaides, Manolis Panagiotopoulos, Charalambos Serases, Gerasimos Touliatos, and Andreas Vazopoulos.

Exhibition Curator: Natasha Gika