How do we attract a new audience to discover Stockholm Art Weeks exhibitions? Simply by using an artform one in three Stockholmers already have discovered – tattoos.

Background
Stockholm Art Week is an annual celebration of Stockholm’s prominent art scene. The platform joints with leading Nordic art fairs, alongside many of Stockholm’s most respected museums, institutions and art spaces that will arrange special exhibitions and events throughout the week.

Challenge
Our mission was to attract new audiences to Stockholm Art Week’s exhibitions by democratizing art. In Stockholm, 1 in 3 people between the ages of 18 and 49 have already discovered and engaged in one artform – tattoos.

Idea
To prove to people that art is more than just a painting on the wall, we decided to team up with contemporary artist Love Lundell and auction his latest work a little differently. The highest bidder wouldn’t take home a normal canvas, he would actually have to become the canvas himself and permanently ink the art piece on his body.

The online auction started on the first day of Stockholm Art Week and continued throughout the week.

Results
Media and blogs wrote about the project including local DN, SvD, DI Weekend, Barnebys, Bukowskis, Mitt i and international blogs like Hill Harper, The Drum and The Artist raising a number of questions. What is art? What is an art piece worth if you can’t sell it again? Do you love an art work for the investment or the design?

Stockholm Art Week put the local art scene in the spotlight once again. Not only raising questions of modern art, but attracting a record number of visitors to all the exhibitions during the week. And one happy Human Canvas. All the proceeds from the auction was donated to UNHCR and the refugee crisis.