Final artwork by Chanon Treenet for Durex “Play Aloe Vera” campaign. Image courtesy of the artist
Thailand-based animator and painter Chanon Treenet illustrated a sensual scene between two lovers made out of succelents, waves, and water poppies. To begin a dialog with the Chinese market about sex, condom and product brand Durex launched a campaign to engage consumers through a series of visual art created by top tier international talents including Treenet. Twelve artists were hired to make work around the “Aloe Vera Pleasure Gel” product, promoting racy scenarios.
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In a society where speaking of intimacy openly is often not the norm, the social marketing agency behind the campaign S-Lab, promoted the lube with a series of posters. An online museum was created, exhibiting the full-color artworks, all vaguely based on sexual experience. On the first day the campaign launched, it achieved nearly one million views.
Final artwork before color by Chanon Treenet for Durex “Play Aloe Vera” campaign. Image courtesy of the artist
While the work Treenet produced for the campaign is both intimate and intricate, he manages to express human sexuality without letting it overcome the mood of the piece. Engaging the natural elements of water, flora, fauna, fish and of course the aloe plant, Treenet’s work feels more personal than a product campaign. “A good thing about this project is that they wanted us to produce a piece of art, not a commercial advertisement,” he tells The Creators Project. Durex is known for its legitimately creative, tongue-in-cheek ad campaigns, but this one shows a sensitive side.
First color draft by Chanon Treenet for Durex “Play Aloe Vera” campaign. Image courtesy of the artist
The range of art from the online sex museum varied from artist to artist, each creating a poster in their own signature style and medium. Treenet worked on his piece using his usual traditional technique of drawing first with graphite and ink and then scanning it in to add color to create the finished work. “This is the first time I have worked on a project based on the subject of sex,” says Treenet, “I had to think about how to present my idea while avoiding getting too erotic with the possibilities.”
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First draft by Chanon Treenet for Durex “Play Aloe Vera” campaign. Image courtesy of the artist
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