Sir Mary for Kunsthaus Zürich: You should copy this art
The Kunsthaus Zürich is dedicating a major retrospective to performance artist Marina Abramović and is promoting it by inspiring people to recreate her art. The agency Sir Mary is responsible for the integrated engagement campaign.
Marina Abramović is one of the most influential and famous artists of our time. For decades, her art performances have explored physical and mental boundaries in an unmistakable way. The Kunsthaus Zürich is now honoring her work with the first retrospective in Switzerland, from the end of October 2024 to mid-February 2025.
Together with the Zurich agency Sir Mary, an unusual campaign was developed that goes far beyond exhibition communication and poster design. The activation campaign calls on art fans from all over the world to figuratively "steal" the artworks of world star Marina Abramović.
Tutorials for three of Abramović's best-known performances are intended to make plagiarizing even easier under the artist's approval. These tutorials are at the heart of the activation campaign and run animated across all digital channels. The campaign is also flanked by classic channels such as (D)OOH, advertisements and flyers.
As most of the performances are primarily dependent on their visibility, users are encouraged to film their own interpretation of the performances and post them publicly with the hashtag "#StealMarinasArtwork". In this way, Marina Abramović's works are expanded to include a previously unseen perspective, in keeping with the spirit of the retrospective. A dedicated landing page serves as a campaign hub with all relevant information.
The most authentic and convincing performance thefts will be included in the official selection of the Kunsthaus - and have the chance to win an exclusive and signed portrait of Abramović, shot by Swiss star photographer Michel Comte.
The idea of the provocative campaign is to become a kind of interactive, collective art performance that addresses controversial topics such as intellectual property rights and public access to art. And in keeping with Abramović's life's work, it arguably poses more questions than answers.
The campaign has been running since the beginning of October 2024 on Instagram, TikTok, OOH, DOOH and ads. The deadline for all performances is the end of November 2024.
Responsible at Kunsthaus Zürich: Alex Hefter (Head of Sales and Services), Priska Amstutz (Head of Communications & Marketing), Marie-Hélène Thornton (Marketing Manager), Sara Nenzi (Digital Products, Social Media). Responsible at Sir Mary: Adrian Merz (Executive Creative Director), Thomas Berger (Design Director), Michael Messer (Copywriter), Michelle Müntener (Content Creator & Illustration), Jacqueline Willimann (Senior Account Manager), Daniel Zuberbühler (Managing Partner), Florian Beck (Chief Creative Officer), Luca Zurfluh (Edit & Animations), Reto Hüttenmoser (Animations).
