30 October 2026

24HDROP: An Art Advent Calendar Puts Inclusive Collecting to the Test

24HDROP art platform displayed on a smartphone

Image: Smartphone displaying the 24HDROP app, through which users can view artworks, enter purchase lotteries and manage their art purchases. © 24HDROP

Quick Read

• Instead of chocolates, 24HDROP offers 24 original artworks on paper, one for each day from 1 to 24 December 2026.
• The Vienna-based platform uses a lottery system: everyone has 24 hours to enter, and a random draw determines who gets the opportunity to buy the work.
• The second edition follows the first art Advent Calendar in 2025 and brings together Austrian and international artists.
• A group exhibition at Vienna's 979 Archives introduces the project in November, although the works on display are not a preview of the Advent Calendar.

Can a Lottery Make Art Collecting More Inclusive?

Art collecting often comes with unwritten rules. Knowing the right people, having access to galleries or being quick enough to secure a sought-after work can make a difference. 24HDROP, a Vienna-based art platform, is trying a different approach: what if everyone interested in an artwork had the same chance to buy it? The idea is at the heart of its art Advent Calendar, which returns for a second edition in December 2026 after its debut last year. Instead of opening a little door to find chocolate, users of the 24HDROP app will find an original artwork. And instead of competing to be the fastest buyer, they enter a lottery.

24 Days, 24 Artworks, One Random Draw

From 1 to 24 December, a new original work on paper will appear in the app every day. Each artwork has a fixed price between €300 and €1,200. Users have 24 hours to register for the draw. Once the period ends, a random number generator selects one participant, who receives the right to purchase the work. There is an important difference between winning an artwork and winning the opportunity to buy one. The selected person still pays the stated price. The lottery simply replaces the usual first-come, first-served principle with a random selection. The entire process takes place in the free app, available for Apple and Android devices. Registration, payment and shipping are handled digitally through the platform. The concept also operates outside the Christmas season. 24HDROP regularly releases individual artworks through weekly drops, using the same lottery principle.

For the 2026 Advent Calendar, the announced artists include Madita Kloss and Denise Rudolf Frank from Austria, alongside international positions such as Grgur Akrap, Joël Bigaignon, Chan Yuhao, Idir Davaine, Nacho Eterno, Jascha Froh, Sergio Gómez, Sebastian Hosu, Jordy Kerwick, Franziska Koch, Sascha Missfeldt and Sophie Vallance Cantor. The press information also identifies Croatia, Denmark, China, France, Spain, Germany, Romania, Australia and the United Kingdom among the countries represented. The exact daily allocation of artists and artworks remains secret.

A Vienna Exhibition Before the Digital Calendar

Before the first digital door opens, 24HDROP invites visitors to encounter its artists in person. From 20 to 22 November, the temporary 24HDROP Shop will occupy the new 979 Archives at Kaiserstraße 32 in Vienna. Around 40 artworks by 13 artists from nine countries will be presented, ten of whom are being shown in Austria for the first time.

The exhibition brings together:
• Austria: Violetta Ehnsperg and Dominik Scharfer
• Germany: Jascha Froh and Aneta Kajzer
• France: Hugo Capron and Marie Hazard
• Denmark: Joël Bigaignon and Kasper Hermann
• Belgium: Lien Buysens
• United Kingdom: Holly Halkes
• USA: Abbey Muza
• Italy: Sieglinde Obexer
• Japan: Motonori Uwasu

The opening takes place on Thursday, 19 November, from 18:00. The exhibition is subsequently open from 20 to 22 November, daily between 11:00 and 18:00. One detail is worth keeping in mind: the exhibition is not a preview of the Advent Calendar. The works shown in November are separate from the 24 originals that will be released in December. The actual calendar remains a surprise.

From Advertising Strategy to Art Discovery

Behind 24HDROP is Christoph Oberlechner, a South Tyrolean entrepreneur living in Vienna. His professional background includes strategic roles in advertising agencies and the co-founding of the fashion rental start-up Moiree. His approach to finding artists involves visiting studios and getting to know emerging and established young artists and their work. This personal research forms the basis of the platform's selection. His experience in advertising and communication adds another dimension: he knows how to create visibility and build a media-oriented presentation around creative work.

The idea of making art collecting more accessible is appealing, but a lottery alone cannot make the art market inclusive. Prices still determine who can afford to participate, and a random draw does not replace the knowledge involved in choosing and collecting art. What 24HDROP changes is the way access to a particular work is allocated. Instead of relying on speed or established contacts, participants have an equal chance in the draw. Whether this approach can reach a broader audience will depend on who takes part and how the platform develops. For the moment, its Advent Calendar offers an unusual combination: the anticipation of a traditional December ritual, the discovery of contemporary art and a different set of rules for getting the chance to own it.