ABOUT

The pandemic has forced us to make decisions on what we deem essential. The arts & culture sector was deprioritised. Galleries were the first to shut and the last to reopen. Thousands of creatives lost their livelihoods. Bombay Sapphire saw an opportunity to set a precedent for how brands can behave in times like this. The campaign used the power of creativity to bypass restrictive regulations, hack the system and support thousands of artists around the world when their governments have abandoned them, proving to the world that creativity is essential. Covid-19 left artists struggling worldwide, with creativity deprioritised during the crisis. Museums and galleries were forced to shut, leaving many concerned that this could pose an existential threat to our most treasured institutions. Artists also struggled, with income streams cut off, and nowhere to exhibit, or to go to for inspiration. Bombay Sapphire has long been a champion of creativity, supporting the arts and emerging artists worldwide. So amidst the difficult arts landscape created by the pandemic, we had an even greater role to play in showing the world the value of creativity, which nourishes, challenges and uplifts us all. We wanted to champion both creative talent and cultural recovery, supporting museums and galleries, and – at a time when the question of what qualifies as “essential” was thrown into sharp relief – proving that creativity is essential. SUPERMARKET was open for 5 days, with 1200 of each limited essential item stocking the shelves of our supermarket ( toilet paper sold out within 4 hours!) – with products and prints of the artworks also available to buy online. The essential items were designed by a collective of 10 brilliant emerging artists from all over the world. Each artist brought their unique style to the project, to turn the likes of toilet paper and bread into artworks - all at supermarket prices, so everyone could take home a piece of art during their weekly shop