Thursday, December 3.
Absolut’s luxury vodka Elyx and non-profit organization Water For People will celebrate their partnership on the opening night of Art Basel, the world’s premier art fair, at the exclusive art-deco Delano South Beach. Pioneering gallerist – Sean Kelly, world-renowned art curator – Jerome Sans, Paddle8 cofounder and art-world disrupter – Alexander Gilkes, international marketer and Absolut Elyx CEO – Jonas Tahlin and Water For People’s CEO – Eleanor Allen will co-host the outdoor gala, featuring a barbecue and bespoke cocktails on Thursday, December 3. During the event, guests will have the opportunity to view a sculpture created by artist Antony Gormley, which will be sold to raise funds for Water for People by online auction house Paddle8.
Widely acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public artworks that investigate the relationship of the human body to space, Antony Gormley is a world-renowned artist. The auction of Gormley’s sculpture will begin on Tuesday, November 24 and conclude on Wednesday, December 9. Two experiential lots – a private group tour of the Sean Kelly Gallery and a cocktail class at the new brand home, the Elyx House, in New York – will also be up for auction. The celebration is part of a five-year partnership between Absolut Elyx and Water For People to provide safe water to more than 100,000 people worldwide. Proceeds from the auction could provide over 10,000 people with access to safe water for generations to come.
The event will also feature an exciting music line-up with a DJ set from Jasmine Solano and a live performance by Elliphant. Jasmine Solano’s solid track record includes soundtracks for New York Fashion Week runway shows and the MTV World’s Scratch the Surface show that she produced and hosted. Swedish buzzworthy artist Elliphant has already amassed an impressive 40 million+ Spotify plays, 28 million+ video plays and an incredible 55k+ Shazam tags. She has worked with Grammy Award nominees and winners Skrillex, Dr. Luke, Diplo, Major Lazer and Joel Little, the man responsible for producing Lorde’s critically acclaimed debut album.
“We are thrilled to partner with a host of luminaries for the benefit at Art Basel to raise awareness of the global water issue,” said Jonas Tahlin, CEO of Absolut Elyx. “Through art, we hope to inspire others to participate in this global dialogue in putting an end to water poverty within our lifetime. Our partnership with Water for People, Sean Kelly, Antony Gormley, and Jerome Sans will shine a spotlight on the campaign while raising money to affect real change.”
“I’m delighted to be co-hosting this extraordinary event supporting Jonas Tahlin, our colleagues at Absolut Elyx and Water For People,” said Sean Kelly. “With the proceeds raised from the auction of Antony Gormley’s iconic sculpture, I’m certain this initiative to bring clean, safe drinking water to those who need it most will be a huge success. Antony and I applaud Elyx and Water for People for this outstanding partnership.”
The philanthropy partnership with Water For People launched in September. For every bottle of vodka sold, Elyx will provide access to one week of safe water (140 liters) to someone in need through Water For People’s work; for every copper pineapple drinking vessel sold, access to one month of water (560 liters) will be provided. Elyx’s new pop-up water truck and copper pineapple boutique will conclude its three city tour in Miami following stops in New York and Los Angeles during Art Basel.