In 2021, Joseph, then aged 5, began creating large collaborative drawings with his mum and a friend, and later with visitors to the family home. As he is deaf and has language difficulties, drawing became a means of communication for him. Between 2021 and 2025, he created around thirty of these ‘large drawings’ with a wide range of people. After moving to Namur in 2022 to join the bilingual Sign Language/French classes at Sainte-Marie School, Joseph continued this practice, albeit less regularly. His mum, however, adapted the principle behind these collaborative drawings for workshops held at Namur Prison in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Adeppi (Atelier d’Éducation Permanente pour Personnes Incarcérées).
The process remains the same: one person first draws a simple figure in black felt-tip pen, usually a human or animal silhouette. Participants then freely add colour according to their emotions, without adding any figurative elements. The aim is to encourage spontaneity, without reflection or judgement, by letting the hand act freely. Only the initial drawing requires a minimal degree of intention; the colouring is done intuitively using various tools provided.
Presented at the Halle al’chair last March during Chambres avec Vues, the exhibition will bring together a number of large drawings created by Joseph and his circle, as well as those produced between 2023 and 2026 by prisoners at Namur Prison, following the same principles.
Galerie du Beffroi, Rue du Beffroi, Namur, Belgique
