Branded Art

For the third consecutive year, Italian spirit brand and inveterate patron of the arts Campari brought its House of Campari pop-up gallery to Los Angeles, maintaining its tradition of showcasing the city’s emerging visual artists. Skyy Spirits events manager Elizabeth Colton turned to Scenic’s Simon Watson and Craig Hensala to curate the gallery’s “Distinctive Messengers” exhibition, which took over an empty storefront in West Hollywood from May 18 to June 10. Throughout this period, Campari hosted a series of exclusive private events that incorporated visual references to the Campari brand in addition to the displayed works of art.A narrow lounge area within the venue stood out from the exhibition rooms with a nightclublike edge, created by dim lighting and bright red walls—a nod to Campari’s signature color—and featured framed photographs from the recent Hotel Campari campaign shot by Mario Testino. A bar in a separate room was backed by an imposing Campari-branded poster featuring a semi-nude woman holding a Campari cocktail and bottle. At the exhibition’s opening night, less subtle incarnations of the brand came in the form of female tray passers (offering Campari cocktails, of course) who were sporting hats inspired by director and photographer Matthew Rolston’s sensual Campari Passion Posters.

In keeping with Rolston’s pin-up-girl-like poster subjects, the House of Campari’s opening- and closing-night events presented special performances by Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce trio and their Las Vegas headlining burlesque dancer Dakota Ferreiro. In a move that encouraged guests to continue their evening past the 10 p.m. closing of the doors on opening night, staff handed out complementary passes to the nightclub Forty Deuce, as well as bottles of Campari.