The Other Half: Giving underrepresented artists a chance to shine
Absolut Warhol: The Other Half is a unique initiative providing five underrepresented UK artists with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase their work, inspired by Warhol’s rediscovered ‘blue’ painting, in London’s Saatchi Gallery. Alison Perrottet, Marketing Manager – Absolut, Malibu, Kahlúa (UK) explains the rationale behind the idea and why the Saatchi Gallery is the perfect venue.
How are you involved in the Warhol ‘blue’ campaign?
When I took the job as Marketing Manager three years ago, the thrill of working on an iconic brand like Absolut was equal to the pressure of living up to its heritage but I relished the opportunity of making Absolut relevant to younger generations in the UK.When it comes to Absolut, this is about the brand ‘being back’ in the zeitgeist with iconic activations and collaboration relevant to a British audience. When the global Absolut team discovered a new painting by Andy Warhol and decided to create a limited-edition bottle to celebrate our past collaboration, we instinctively knew we had to make it the centrepiece of our local plan (UK) this year. Warhol transcends time and generations. He drives immediate connection to our brand values of inclusivity and diversity – he is simply iconic. So, my role was to design an impactful 360o launch plan for the UK to revitalise one of the most iconic partnerships from the 1980s and connect with the British public of today.
What was the rationale behind the Other Half campaign?
Over the past three years in the UK, we have designed and delivered award-winning creative campaigns for Absolut providing a platform for expression to underrepresented communities. With singer Olly Alexander, this purpose-led platform took first the shape of a Choir with Absolut raising the volume of marginalised voices. The platform then became a Stage using the power of dance to drive positive change. The rediscovery of a lost artwork from Andy Warhol has allowed us to continue our mission in the UK and give a canvas for expression to underrepresented artists offering them the chance to design the other half of the Absolut ‘blue’ painting.
The Other Half initiative continues to expand on Absolut and Warhol’s common legacy of challenging the norms and embracing inclusivity – and will hopefully solidify Absolut’s place in contemporary culture!
What is the purpose and aim of The Other Half campaign?
Warhol famously said that in the future everybody will have 15 minutes of fame: with social media offering opportunities for more artists to share their work online, he probably wasn’t wrong! However, barriers to entry within the gallery space are still high and exhibitions remain out of reach for many marginalised groups – only one in five artists actually exhibit in a gallery during their lifetime.*
So, we decided to partner with the Saatchi Gallery to provide five emerging artists with a unique opportunity to showcase their work in an iconic high-profile gallery for the first time. The Other Half initiative continues to expand on Absolut and Warhol’s common legacy of challenging the norms and embracing inclusivity – and will hopefully solidify Absolut’s place in contemporary culture!
How does The Other Half initiative sit within the wider context of Absolut’s Born to Mix values?
Whether it’s drinks, ideas or people, Absolut believes in the power of mixing to drive positive change. Art has the power to challenge mainstream narratives and it’s important to mix different perspectives and showcase different points of view, to drive conversation and change. This is what The Other Half initiative offers, immersing the British public in discovering new artists, all coming from different backgrounds, contributing to more representation in arts and culture.
How did you select the artists on show?
We were looking for a range of artists from diverse backgrounds to give a different perspective on the brief, using a variety of mediums to create a rich exhibition that can spark conversations. We worked collaboratively with Hypebeast and our culture agency M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment to identify brilliant emerging talents who haven’t had the chance to get exhibited yet but are getting traction online.
Can you tell us about the artwork on show?
We’ve got an amazing diversity of artworks and mediums, as we expected, with all the work feeling authentic to each artist. They are all brilliant! Kelly Anna’s colourful piece, for instance, complements beautifully the original Warhol painting, whilst staying true to the unique style we loved from the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 for example. There are lots of hidden details you only discover if you stare a little longer and immerse yourself in her world, which is very rewarding. Personally, I love Jade’s piece and how she uses positive affirmations in her artwork. She describes her vision as a contrast to Warhol’s famous style – repetition of familiar symbols reflective of societal norms – with her choice of using more dynamic forms to celebrate individuality and female empowerment.
Saatchi Gallery is a terrific venue, how did that come about?
We didn’t know if we could but our first thought was that we needed to do this project with the Saatchi Gallery! First, icons often surround themselves with other icons: Absolut has done it so brilliantly over the years, not just with Andy Warhol but with an array of iconic collaborations with the likes of Keith Haring, David Bowie, Jean-Paul Gautier and Louise Bourgeois to celebrate our past and make it relevant today, we wanted to work with an iconic venue and Saatchi Gallery was a no-brainer. But there was a second reason. Last year, we were invited by the Gallery to its annual Art for Change Prize event; its common mission of making culture accessible to everyone and its use of art as a medium to drive social change naturally resonated with us. Sharing values from a brand perspective made the Gallery the perfect partner and we were thrilled they agreed to be our venue for the initiative.
What will the exhibition space look like?
We have recreated a bit of the space inspired by Andy Warhol’s New York’s Factory– an area open to everyone, a place where artists met and expressed themselves. We have a space dedicated to Warhol Absolut ‘blue’ so visitors can discover the story of the lost painting. The rest of the exhibition is about giving space to the artists we have invited to show their work – not just their interpretation of The Other Half, but their own work too.
* Contemporary Art Issue, December 2023
About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts over 5,000 schools’ visits annually and has over six million followers on social media. It has an expansive education and learning program and partners with a wide variety of schools, colleges, universities and community organisations and in 219 it became a charity.
