With 'ABSOLUT Dahlsen', John joins such renowned artists as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Francesco Clemente and Damien Hirst, who have been commissioned to create artworks by ABSOLUT of Sweden.

Media release: October/November 2004

It seems award-winning assemblage artist John Dahlsen’s career just leaps from one high profile and exciting project to another. In a major coup Dahlsen is the first Australian to be chosen to join the ranks of such renowned international artists as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Francesco Clemente and Damien Hirst whom have all been commissioned to create artworks by V & S Absolut Spirits, Sweden.

The universal environmental themes presented in John's work have led to critically acclaimed solo shows in New York and Milan and he was selected by an international jury to represent Australia at the Artiade Olympics of the Visual Arts exhibition in Athens.

After returning from the exhilaration of the Athens Olympics, John had to immediately embark on the challenge to create ABSOLUT DAHLSEN, a commission for a major sculptural piece by V&S Absolut Spirits which was unveiled at the 2004 Bondi Sculpture by the Sea.
Standing 4.2 metres high and 1.5 metres at its base, John had the work engineered locally in his hometown Byron Bay, by Phil Wallace Engineers and partially fabricated
locallythere also by Byron Steel, from a framework of fibreglass and steel on concrete steel footings and covered it in his trademark rubber thongs, a reference to his iconic "Thong Totems” which won the Art Gallery of New South Wales Wynne Prize in 2000.

John said, 'as part of the contract for the project I also proposed that I provide archival footage of the project from start to installation and so I commissioned a Byron based production company: for this job, as a result, I have created a DVD of the fabrication of the work and of myself creating and then installing ABSOLUT DAHLSEN in
Sydney on the Bondi headland.
So now the project has a really great multi media component' said John, 'the DVD will be used by Absolut International to promote their future art projects, which will be very
useful in giving my work further international exposure'.
Over 100 sculptures from Australia and around the world annually transform Sydney's Bondi to Tamarama Coastal walk, in to a spectacular outdoor gallery from 28th October to 14th November, last year’s exhibition attracted some 300,000 visitors.

Following the Sculpture By the Sea unveiling and launch of this sculpture, "ABSOLUT DAHLSEN" Has since been placed on semi permanent loan to the Gold Coast City Art Gallery in Queensland Australlia.