Patricia Dorfman Gallery, Paris 4th.

SITUATION

Summer 2001- La MJC presented its first contemporary art exhibition at the Patricia Dorfman gallery.

Bearing an exhibition of contemporary art and in the meantime introducing a new product is not that easy. The art world is not usually keen on combining Art and Marketing.

With such difficulties, La MJC decided to seek out a partner directly related to WK Interact creative world. What could represent the urban landscape better than a car?

As a result, the BMW Group accepted the idea of integrating its new MINI in the gallery environment like a piece of urban scenery created by WK, that’s how Prototype 2001 opened in June.

Background

La MJC first collaborated with artist WK while working on the« Maillots de corps » tee- shirt project.
Well known by the international press as one of the most talented urban artists of his generation, WK was the darling of magazines such as Visionnaire, Dazed & Confused or Relax in Tokyo.
WK, French born New Yorker, suffered from a lack of recognition in his homeland and La MJC took it on to bring glory to this greatly artist.

CONCEPT

The Exhibition

The Patricia Dorfman gallery presented a retrospective of WK’s work as well as paintings which were specifically created for the event.
The entrance exhibited the artist’s graphic interpretation of the new MINI car on a 7 meter wide canvas.

Then, the main room revealed an unexpected surprise : an attempted robbery of the MINI by the ceiling while the car was being protected by armed guards painted on each wall of the room !

Total synergy…The car was not only an integral part of the exhibition but it also came out like a piece of art in itself. The Art world was delighted…La MJC had fulfilled its challenge.

The Opening

From 4pm to 9pm on Saturday June 23rd 2001, a happy few and beautiful people discovered the work of WK as well as the new MINI, this was the cherry on the cake !

Totally private, this opening was supposed to be festive and entertaining.

It combined a contemporary art presentation with electronic music and DJs playing lounge, soul and deep house.

Line up: Ariel Wizman, Fabrice Desprez, et Amok of 20000ST label.

The Official Party

A successful exhibition does not exist without an official party !
The official WK / MINI party took place at the Monkey Club.
Open bar and famous DJ’s created a hip-house party with lives of Demon and Higgins for the electro side, and DJ Pone with Jr Ewing for the hip-hop part. Almost 1500 people came to celebrate the opening.

GOALS

-Introducing the new MINI in exclusivity to potential customers, 4 months prior to its official launch.

-Proposing an original and conceptual first approach between the car and its target, thanks to an artistic vision.

- Developing the image of MINI to an audience composed of trend setters and influential personnalities.

- Legitimize urban art by showing the work of one of its most talented creator in a Parisian art gallery.

EXTRA PARTNERS

Playstation 2 Within the gallery
The brand set a micro-space geared with plasma screen seats in order to offer extra entertainment to the visitors. These seats were also completely integrated to the WK’s creations.

Technikart Official press partner
The magazine had announced the exhibition in its June issue. Furthermore, a removable poster was included in the July issue –45000 posters were printed- reproducing WK’s creations dedicated to MINI.

Radio Nova
The radio station released a sample of the artist’s interview during the whole week before the exhibition. This sample used as a commercial for the radio waves, was also put into music and played during the first week of the exhibition.

RESULTS

-Almost 4000 visitors in total -including 900 guests invited by MINI, La MJC and the gallery just for the opening. It was a huge success as regards to the quality of the public.

-A large press coverage during and after the event in many publications such as Perso, Jalouse, A nous Paris, Max, Depeche Mode, Nova Magazine, Blast,…

- A new strategy direction in terms of positionning for MINI

PRESS COVERAGE