Warsalongen

Transforming images that are worth money to images that are valuable for children

Background
War Child is an international children's rights organization founded in the Netherlands in 1994. Through a combination of psychosocial support, child protection, and education, War Child helps children affected by war and conflict to process their experiences through creative expression, enabling them to regain hope for the future and become healthy adults.

Solution
We created the annual art exhibition and auction Warsalongen. The name is a wordplay on the well-known art exhibition Vårsalongen (”spring exhibition” in Swedish) in Stockholm. The initiative transforms pictures that are worth money into pictures that are valuable for children.

The first Warsalongen exhibition opened on the same day as Liljevalchs Vårsalong in February 2023, exactly one year after Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine began. The second Warsalong was made in cooperation with the leading Swedish auction house Uppsala Auktionskammare in February 2024.

Artworks by renowned artists like Cecilia Edefalk, Karin Broos and Clay Ketter have been donated to Warsalongen. The first two editions of the Warsalongen auction have raised 500.000 SEK for War Child Sweden, and generated an earned reach of 5 million impressions without bought media. The second Warsalongen raised 400% more funds than the first Warsalongen.

Press
DN, 2024
DN, 2023
SVT Kulturnyheterna, 2023
Uppsala Autionskammare
Resumé
Syre
Svenska fotografers förbund

Awards:
Swedish Effies/100-wattaren, shortlist, Ideellt och Välgörenhet
Stenbeckspriset, shortlist