As a visual artist, doing art collaboration is always fun and keeps me creative. Especially if the artist we collaborate with has a unique style, or if the technique is different from usual. I love anything surreal and bizarre, for me doing an Exquisite Corpse collaboration is a homage to the Surrealism movement. Some of you might wondering, what the fuck is Exquisite Corpse? Exquisite Corpse was invented by Surrealists and started about 1925, but different source would say it was already invented before 1918. It was started as a “writing game”, one player would write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold it to conceal part of the writing, and then pass it to the next player. The name of the collaboration is derived from a phrase that resulted when Surrealists first played the game: “Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau” (“The exquisite corpse will drink the new wine”), and later this technique was adapted to drawing and collage. But the technique is not forgotten, nowadays many artists still doing Exquisite Corpse. Usually an artist would draw / make a collage on a paper, and let half of the paper blank. When he/she has finished, his/her part will be covered except for 3 cm. This artwork will be sent via mail, and other collaborator will finish the blank part with only seeing 3 cm strip. Other way is done digitally, but the same rule still apply: only let a small part seen. Sounds rad right? Here are some Exquisite Corpse done by Surrealists, both from the pioneers and nowadays artists!
Paul Éluard, André Breton & Nusch Éluard (1929)
André Breton & Valentino Hugo (1929)
André Breton, Nusch Éluard & Valentino Hugo (1929)
André Breton, Max Morise, Pierre Naville, Benjamin Péret, Jacques Prévert, Jeannette Tanguy & Yves Tanguy (1928)
“You Put A Spell On Me”
Marc Gosselin (top half) & Bernard Dumaine (lower half)
“Almost Macabre Dance”
Sander Jansen (lower half) & Luca Rossi (top half)
“Studying The Fauna”
Bernard Dumaine (right upper panel & left lower panel) & Teseleanu George (left upper panel & right lower panel)
“Book: A History”
Sulistyo Danang (top half) & Christianto (lower half)
“Exquisite: Alma-Divee”
Martin De Diego Sádaba (left half) & Ton Haring (right half)
“The Abyss Of The Mind”
Joe MacGown (left half) & Marcel Bakker (right half)
Images via:
– Collaborative Corpse
– The Exquisite Corpse Club
– Exquisite Corpse
Jason Tyne-Zimmerman
April 8, 2014 at 2:22 pm
These are indeed rad images…and awesome to see Bernard Dumaine’s work cited as contemporary examples. He’s actually contributing to a comic book being done in the Exquisite Corpse Style. Check it out!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/718054981/2108358868?token=892de807
ToyLife
March 1, 2012 at 4:44 am
agreed – this was always one of my favorite exercises during my road to my BFA / MFA. Seems to be lost on the digital age (insert luddite sigh).
CHRIS
March 1, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Cool, well you can always do the exquisite corpse digitally. But I prefer going to the post office tho, its more fun!
Yodarowsky
March 1, 2012 at 4:06 am
What about the S&D exquisite corpse project with hooper?
http://meditationsinatrament.com/2011/09/10/shirts-and-destroy-%E2%80%93-the-exquisite-corpse-post-3/
CHRIS
March 1, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Sweet thanks for sharing, never seen that ones! Also done in the traditional “head, torso and legs” way! Almost forgot to that technique, thanks for reminding me!