Artist Kira Hagi transforms grandparents' life story into a dream exhibition: A family legacy

Kira Hagi, granddaughter of Romanian football legend Gică Hagi, has unveiled a deeply personal art exhibition titled 'Agapi - Half a Century of Love.' The project is a tribute to her grandparents' enduring relationship, meticulously crafted over three and a half years from their collected memories and stories.

The inspiration struck Hagi during a visit home, when her grandfather began recounting tales of his own ancestors. This prompted her to record his words, simultaneously sketching ideas for the exhibition. "Please, grandfather, let me record," she recalls asking, capturing a moment of family history that had never been shared before. This initial recording evolved into a comprehensive artistic endeavor.

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Three and a half years it took me to realize this exhibition because it didn't start as an exhibition idea, but I simply went to my grandparents' house one day to eat something and they started telling me about their lives, as they usually tell me, and I had a spark then and said, 'Please, grandfather, let me record.' He was telling about his great-grandfather and it seemed to me something he hadn't told before, and I said, 'let's capture this little story.' He agreed and in parallel, while he was telling me about his great-grandfather and his father, I started sketching, my hand was sketching and writing at the same time and that's how I sketched the idea of the exhibition!

'Agapi,' a Greek word meaning 'love,' forms the core of the exhibition's title, reflecting the essence of her grandparents' 50-year marriage, which was the project's starting point. The exhibition opened in a unique location: the small shed of the Evangelical Church C.A. in Criț, Romania, allowing visitors to engage with the couple's journey through photographs, cherished objects, and their own recorded voices.

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From one thing to another, I said next week let's also take some photos, because you have celebrated 50 years of marriage and it would be nice to have a memory, and we took these photos and from the photoshoot, the fact that they were talking to each other and their dynamic seemed so beautiful to me and I said, 'let's also make a video,' and I called another family friend and he came to my grandparents' house to film them and so from one idea to another we created this exhibition!

Hagi explained that the project grew organically from a simple desire to commemorate their golden anniversary. "From one thing to another, I said next week let's also take some photos, because you have celebrated 50 years of marriage and it would be nice to have a memory," she said. The dynamic between her grandparents during a photoshoot further inspired Hagi to create a video, ultimately leading to the full exhibition.

The exhibition not only showcases the couple's love story but also serves as a testament to the power of family heritage and artistic expression. By weaving together narratives, images, and personal artifacts, Hagi has created a poignant and intimate portrait of a lifelong bond, inviting viewers to connect with the universal themes of love and memory.

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'Agapi' is a Greek word that means 'love' and was chosen precisely to capture the essence of the relationship between the two. The second part of the title, 'Half a century of love,' refers to the moment Kira started the project: her grandparents were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary at the time.