For Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings at the Art Gallery of NSW, I built partnerships that connected the exhibition with audiences through retailers, cafés, publications and digital channels. The fit with each partner mattered as much as the reach. When lockdown closed the Gallery, those digital channels became especially valuable.
The opportunity
The Gallery wanted to reach younger cultural audiences and families, and give people more ways into af Klint’s work. Her Swedish heritage, vivid visual language and spiritual interests opened up a partnership story that could be made tangible.
What I did
I secured IKEA and Swedish-aligned partners including Fika and funkis, and oversaw a collaboration with Maison Balzac on an exhibition candle. The wider campaign also included a negotiated BELLE and Homes to Love media partnership. Each organisation had its own audience and way to contribute, so the work was in finding the right fit and joining up the details. The Gallery’s curatorial team later digitised the exhibition when lockdown closed its doors. The partner channels we had established helped keep the exhibition visible and helped people find the online experience. COVID changed how we worked, and how we consumed art.
How the partnerships appeared
- IKEA promoted the exhibition to its Family database and staff, with a Sydney weekend competition and exhibition offer.
- Maison Balzac sold the limited-edition candle through the Gallery Shop and its own website, supported by email to 6,000 subscribers.
- Before lockdown, Fika and funkis brought the exhibition into cafés and stores, alongside editorial content and social giveaways.
- BELLE carried a full-page advertisement, supported by four weeks of digital activity across Homes to Love.
What can we measure?
Before lockdown, the IKEA promotion targeted a database of more than 650,000 Family members and recorded around 2,000 entries. Those figures describe that specific activation, not the exhibition’s overall audience. I also secured placements across partner email, editorial, websites and social channels.
What it shows
I can spot a cultural connection, turn it into a useful commercial proposition and coordinate quite different partners without losing sight of the audience or the work itself.
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