Relational Art works

Testimonial: We don’t create a work of art. We create together. There’s a difference !

How did it all begin? I used to organize traditional drawing workshops. Each person worked with their own sheet of paper, creating « their » own piece. A studious but… compartmentalized atmosphere. One day, someone suggested: « What if we created a piece of art together? » Simple. Obvious.

The first time: A large white canvas in the center. Silence. Who goes first? One participant hesitates, then draws a red circle. Simple, almost timid. Another approaches. Looks at the circle for a long time. Adds a blue spiral that seems to « rotate » around it. A third person comes. Places yellow dots like stars. And then, magic: the following participants no longer create « alongside » it but « with » it. Each gesture responds to the previous ones. Dialogue. A silent conversation in colors and shapes. In the end: a work of art that no one could have created alone. Each person recognizes their own gesture, but transformed, integrated into a whole that transcends them. What really happens: At the beginning: Hesitation. « I’m afraid of messing it up. » « What if my gesture is ugly? » After 20 minutes: Letting go. We understand that « messing it up » doesn’t exist. Everything comes together. After 1 hour: Collective flow. We stop thinking. We respond. Like a visual jazz improvisation. At the end: Wonder. « We did that?? » Yes, together.
Highlights: The « oh no! » moment. Someone covers « your » best part. You grimace inwardly. Then you see: their gesture interacts with yours, transforms it, elevates it. Lesson: Letting go. Trusting. The « I see! » moment. The artwork suddenly suggests a direction. « It wants to go this way. » We no longer decide, we follow the artwork itself. Lesson: The artwork has its own life. The « it’s finished » moment. Someone makes a final gesture. Everyone feels: « Yes, it’s complete. » No one touches it anymore. Lesson: The artwork knows when it’s finished. What participants say

« I discovered that my ‘mistakes’ became beautiful when someone incorporated them into their response. »

« It was meditative. I was completely present. »

« It felt like we’d known each other forever after that. The artwork connected us. »

« My 8-year-old son and I created together on the same canvas. A magical moment. »

Why it works
1. No judgment. No one is « better » or « worse. » Every action is necessary to the whole.
2. No ownership. « I forgot my ego. For the first time, I truly created with others, not just alongside them. »

3. Process > Result. What matters: the experience during. The final object = a testament to a shared moment.
4. Relationship made visible. The connections between people become visible in the connections between forms. Art as a revealer of our relationships.

The only condition: accepting to let go of control and trusting the collective process.