SK-II Reimagines the ‘Power of Pitera’ with Boundary-Pushing Artist Series

Japanese beauty brand SK-II is showcasing the power of collaborative art with a boundary-pushing immersive campaign for its iconic skincare ingredient Pitera. Great Guns and its production centres worldwide united to create a unique marriage between art and product with a project that spans a first-of-its-kind skincare exhibition in Shanghai, a collection of striking artistic responses, and a manga-inspired store design at SK-II’s flagship outlet in Tokyo.

Opening Ceremony co-founder Carol Lim took on the role of creative director on the immense project, curating the artistic output whilst Great Guns took the lead on all production of film, animation, photography and event designs across the globe. Over a period of 18 months, Great Guns assembled artists from numerous disciplines to create art that celebrates SK-II’s iconic ingredient, producing the SK-II Artist Series: Power of Pitera. 

The artist series is the largest artistic undertaking in SK-II’s transformation journey and one of the world’s biggest beauty and art crossover programmes. Spanning interpretive dance, illustration, sculpture, and photography, the campaign tells the story of its iconic hero ingredient. Discovered in a sake brewery in Japan – prompted by the sight of an old brewer’s surprisingly youthful-looking hands – Pitera is extracted through the fermentation process and was transformed into SK-II’s anti-ageing ingredient. 

The project includes a series of surreal illustrations by Ram Han entitled Pitera is ‘Legendary’ which is inspired by SK-II’s heritage story and the discovery of Pitera. It takes the viewer on a historic journey through an all-enveloping 40ft animated dreamscape of sound and vision, ultimately revealing the modern-day SK-II Facial Treatment Essence.

Art magazine Toiletpaper, meanwhile, produced a series of images inspired by a single drop of Pitera in Pitera is ‘a Miraculous Drop’. The bold collection shows several women interacting with large-scale drops of the product and is displayed in a room itself lit by hand-blown glass drops.

Pitera is often marketed as delivering 'crystal clear skin.' Taking this as her inspiration, Zhong Lin photographed SK-II brand ambassadors and actresses Tang Wei and Ayase, showing them off in floor to ceiling dynamic diptychs to emphasise their vitality and beautiful skin. The striking photography series is entitled Pitera is ‘Crystal Clear Skin’. 

The ‘Pat-Pat’ motion of applying Pitera is also transformed into a dance routine by choreographer Ryan Heffington in Pitera is ‘Pat Pat’. Shot in Los Angeles through Great Guns LA, the piece brings a sense of youth and fun to the project and is displayed on three giant interacting screens within its own exhibition room.

Finally, Pitera is ‘Iconic’ debuts a series of works from a creative collective of artists from around the world, reinterpreting the iconic essence with an experimental collage. The piece comprises of various art forms including painting, illustration, sculpture, and photography and are currently featured in an exhibition in Shanghai.