PIECES PROJECT

PIECES is an international, collaborative art initiative conceived and curated by Jakub Mazerant via IllustrateYourLife - Studio for Creative Collaboration. The project explores the relationship between individual artistic expression and collective creativity. Established in 2006, the project invites artists from around the world to contribute a single artwork to a continuously expanding composition, creating a visual dialogue across cultures and art disciplines.

At a time when large-scale online artistic collaboration was still uncommon, PIECES Project introduced a new model for international creative exchange. By bringing together artists who would otherwise never have worked alongside one another, the project demonstrated how independent voices could form a unified work while retaining their individual identity.

Over the course of two editions of the project, 249 artists from 39 countries participated, creating one of the world’s largest collaborative art initiatives. Its scale and originality were recognised with two Guinness World Records, acknowledging the project’s unique contribution to contemporary collaborative practice.

Presented through exhibitions, public programmes and workshops, PIECES Project has engaged audiences with ideas of participation, connection and cultural dialogue.

SETTING WORLD RECORDS

The unique body of work created over the runs of the project has been released in the form of published hardcover, limited-edition graphic novels.
→ learn more

THE BOOKS

If you would like to bring PIECES to your audience or develop something new around the project,

LET’S COLLABORATE
LET'S CONNECT

PIECES BOOKS

  • BOOK 2

  • BOOK 2

  • BOOK 2

  • BOOK 2

  • BOOK 2

  • BOOK 2

  • BOOK 2

  • BOOK 2

  • BOOK 2

  • BOOK 1

  • BOOK 1

  • BOOK 1

  • BOOK 1

  • BOOK 1

  • BOOK 1

  • BOOK 1

  • BOOK 1

CREATIVE PROCESS

The project begins with a single comic panel created by the founder, Jakub Mazerant. It introduces characters and establishes a visual world. The artwork is then passed to another artist, who creates the next piece. That artist responds to what came before while making decisions that influence everything that follows.

Every contributor can introduce a new character, change the setting, accelerate the action, slow the story down, shift its emotional tone, or completely reinterpret what they have seen. Then they let go, and the next artist takes control.

An artist may receive a piece and immediately imagine what should happen next, or even have an idea for the ending. But once their piece is completed, control passes to someone else - and the story takes another direction.
PIECES is designed not to avoid the unexpected, but to embrace it as its primary goal.

  • Blank canvas:
    The project begins with an empty page.

  • Initial setup:
    The first panel establishes the narrative direction and early composition.

  • First handoff:
    The work in progress is passed along to the second artist.

  • Creative response:
    The next artist interprets and builds upon the existing artwork.

  • Second handoff:
    The evolving page is transferred to the subsequent artist.

  • Story progression:
    The narrative continues to unfold through collaboration.

PIECES is a bold visual experiment in collective storytelling, featuring a creative process where characters shift and evolve depending on the artist drawing them.

A character introduced by one artist as playful and humorous can instantly transform in the hands of another - becoming serious, threatening, vulnerable, or absurd. While the character's core identity remains recognisable, their physical form, facial expressions, and personality are continually reimagined through shifting visual languages.

By colliding different cultural backgrounds, personal experiences, and visual vocabularies, PIECES triggers a spectacular chain reaction of imagination, proving just how differently we can all interpret the exact same subject.

CHARACTER TRANSFORMATION

artist:
Tomek Karelus

artist:
Artur Sadłos

artist:
Emil Cegielski

artist:
Szaweł Płóciennik

artist:
Adam Pękalski

ARTISTS INVOLVED

  • Jakub Mazerant, Joanna Ławniczak, Asia Safranow, Wiesław Skupniewicz “Ziuto”, Jacek Frąś, Magdalena Zięba, Przemysław Truściński, Robert Służały, Paweł Pyzik, Marek Oleksicki, Paweł Piekarski “Robotata”, Marta Semkowicz “Mase”, Przemek Surma “Surpiko”, Michał Matoszko, Dennis Wojda, Tomasz Pastuszka “Asu”, Piotr Zdanowicz “Dismas”, Leszek Wicherek “Grubas”, Maciej Pałka, Bartosz Sztybor, Jarosław Zieliński, Marcin Surma “Xulm”, Sławomir Kiełbus, Daniel de Latour, Przemysław Paliwoda, Datasky, Paweł Drygiel, Jacek Krumholc, Clarence Weatherspoon, Alek Morawski, Janusz Wyrzykowski, Saulius Krusna “Rorkas”, Artur Ruducha, Piotr Nowacki “Jaszczu”, Grzesiek Nita “Gino”, Marek Lachowicz, Maciej Prożalski “Empro”, Łukasz Bublewicz, Monika Grzesiewska, Tomasz Zych, Bartłomiej Gaweł, Robert Konsztat, Marta Gliwińska, Janek Koza, Aleksandra Kopff, Andrzej Poprostu, Przemysław Wolny, Marcin Orłowski, Tomek Karelus, Maciej Banaś, Artur Sadłos “Torturr”, Emil Cegielski, Szaweł Płóciennik “Apacz z Wolnej Woli”, Adam Pękalski, Ada Buchholc, Maciek Blaźniak, Bartek Stefanowicz, Iwo Winduliński, Katarzyna Kalder “Yuke”, Karolina Piętoń “Ishi”, Ola Woldańska, Agnieszka Futa, ZBK, Luciano Lahoz Colucci “Lucci”, Eoin McKeown, Francesca Boyd-Barrett, Jan Kromarek “RECONQ”, Jon Izen, Rodrigo Díaz “roromouseypapel”, Grégory Demont, Cecilia Levy, Patricio Oliver, Jazmin Velasco, Stefan Jolet, Brian Reddy, Malachi Ward, Andrea Innocent, Veronica Fish, Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Andrew Gordon, IKIN, Christopher Corr, Sonia Kretschmar, Adam Lowe, Manabu Hassegawa, Gregory Myers, Stephan Balleaux, Tomasz Niewiadomski, Ewa Juszczuk “Eva Cock”, Robert Romanowicz, Sebastian Skrobol, Tomasz Leśniak, Paweł Zych, Tadeusz Baranowski

  • Jakub Mazerant, Reg Mombassa, Igor Myszkiewicz, Patrycja Podkościelny, Paweł Zawiślak, Dieter Van der Ougstraete “Dieter VDO”, Agata Karelus “Gagatka”, Ben Frost, Ola Marchocka “aleksandracupcake”, Adam Strzelczyk “Bohun”, Marta Gliwińska “panimarto”, Joanna Krótka, Kuba Gornowicz, Olga Wróbel, Sylwia Paś, Ingrīda Pičukāne, Alicja Gapińska, Giorge Roman, Emilia Dziubak, Tomasz Płonka, Katarzyna Wołodkiewicz-Przyborowska, Krystian Żelazo, Alicja Kocurek, Doug Smock, Łukasz Poślad, Gosia Herba, Patryk Hardziej, Eugene Plotnikov, Andrzej Kidaj “Andy”, Marcin Golinowski “Enes”, Tomasz Jędrzejowski “Skoti”, The Hosu, Greg Holfeld, Mark Rodda, Andrzej Pągowski, Stuart Campbell “Sutu”, Kurt, Anna Helena Szymborska, Maria Apoleika, Zuzia Turek, Julian Frost, Agnieszka Grajda, Elżbieta Gądek, Megi Kopaniszyn, Marta Szudyga, Karol Banach, Adam Kmiołek, Maciej Kmiołek, Pam Pam Liu, Jotaká, Jongmee, Carl Krull, Darek Vasina, Reena Makwana, Malwina Mosiejczuk, James Gulliver Hancock, Titon Małczow, Luke Ramsey, Joaquín Pérez “Monojoaco”, Robert Sienicki “bele”, Agata Wawryniuk, Kostas Kiriakakis, Gemma Correll, Reza Dalvand, Patrick Hruby, Patrycja Garczyńska, Łukasz Samsonowicz "Zimzonowicz”, Rán Flygenring, Jakub Grochola, Guillaume Beinat “TazasProject”, Jeremy Delhuvenne, Oze Tajada, Marek Szymczak, Ric Carrasquillo, Magdalena Koźlicka, FuFu Frauenwahl, Iain Heath, Chris Carfolite, Tim Molloy, Victoria Healy “Meltycats”, T. Motley, Lee McClure, Piotr Kasiński “PIK”, Robert Trojanowski “ROBI”, Mikey Karpiel, Phillip Marsden, Joel Priddy, Magdalena Chojnowska “EMCH”, Sam Spina, Chema Peral, Bogusław Polch, Zbigniew Kasprzak “KAS”, Thomas Campi, Lesley Vamos, Michał Śledziński “Śledziu”, Tim McEwen, Zezhou Chen, Vin Ganapathy, Martin Mörck, Tomasz Marcinkiewicz, John Joven, Marty Schneider, Phil Guy “BurritoBreath”, Ovadia Benishu, Mike Watt, Jakub Czyż, Mr Mead, Katarzyna Olbromska, Julia “Zeke's Lunchbox”, Blair Sayer, Mulga, Sindy Sinn, Bruce Mutard, Madfire, Michał Polaczek “Tybex”, Tom DesLongchamp, Max Prentis, Wout Schildermans “Melvin”, Jonathon Saunders, Stuart Medley, Claudia Chinyere Akole, Ben Mitchell, Mandy Ord, Rob Feldman, Chris Gooch, Louie Joyce, Fionn McCabe, Soolagna Majumdar, Ben Hutchings, Eleri Harris, Georgina Chadderton, Samuel McEwen, Frank Candiloro, Hayden Fryer, Madeleine Karutz, Bill Hope, Sarah Firth, Owen Heitmann, Gregory Mackay, Tatiana Davidson, Jin Hien Lau, Dean Rankine, Piotr Nowacki, Marek Lachowicz, Marcin Surma “XULM”, Adam Pękalski, Katarzyna Witerscheim “Panna N.”, Tomasz Kaczkowski, Igor Wolski, Jacek Frąś, Anna Krztoń, Paweł Pyzik, Przemysław Surma “Surpiko”, Maciej Pałka, Michał Ambrzykowski, Paweł Płóciennik “Szaweł”, Janek Koza, Hubert Ronek, Tomasz Niewiadomski, Monika Laprus-Wierzejska, Jakub Babczyński, Bartosz Minkiewicz, Wiesław Skupniewicz “Ziuto”, Agnieszka Świętek, Tomasz Karelus, Joan Ross, Mora Vieytes, Sun Xun, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Stelios Papadakis

STYLES & TECHNIQUES

PIECES deliberately brings together creators working across different fields and visual traditions. Illustrators, painters, graphic artists, cartoonists, street artists, and creators working with unconventional materials have all contributed. The project includes approaches ranging from conventional drawing and painting to embroidery, sculpture, and LEGO.

  • installation (painting, drawing & sculpture) by Victoria Healy “Meltycats”

  • installation (painting, illustration & sculpture) by Victoria Healy “Meltycats”

  • LEGO bricks by Iain Heath

  • LEGO bricks by Iain Heath

  • drawing / collage by Jan Koza

  • drawing / painting on wood by Robert Romanowicz

  • drawing / digital illustration by ZBK

  • photography / digital illustration by Maciek Blaźniak

  • drawing by Ingrīda Pičukāne

  • embroidery by Reena Makwana

  • drawing by Cecilia Levy

  • 3D rendering by Marcin Orłowski

  • watercolour by Mark Rodda

  • collage by Marta Gliwińska “panimarto”

ALTERNATIVE ENDINGS

To explore the imaginative possibilities of the contributing artists, the second edition of the project introduced alternative endings, further heightening its inherent unpredictability.
Several well-established artists offered their own distinct takes on the preceding piece, producing entirely different final artworks - with one even taking the form of an augmented-reality-driven animation.

Joan Ross

Abdul Rahman Abdullah

Stuart Campbell “Sutu”

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS

From its inception, PIECES Project attracted widespread attention due to the unusual scale and collaborative nature of the initiative.

The creative experiment went on to secure two official Guinness World Records. In 2012, Pieces Book 1 was recognised for the "Most contributors to a comic book", subsequently being featured in the official 2016 global catalogue. The project achieved its second world record with Pieces Book 2, which secured the title for the "Most professional contributors to a graphic novel".

This international recognition has been matched by strong public engagement, with PIECES being showcased through international exhibitions, comic festivals, cultural events, and public programmes across Europe and Australia.

EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS

PIECES LIVE

PIECES Live is a series of interactive workshops based on the original concept of the project. Open to the public, it is an invitation to enter the world of creative exchange through comics. The programme has been presented at various festivals and events. Most notably, it is a recurring initiative delivered in collaboration with Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, which has engaged almost 1,000 Australian school students.

LET'S CONNECT

LET’S CONNECT

PIECES is an international collaborative comics project that brings artists from different countries together to create a single evolving story. With 249 participating artists from 39 countries and two Guinness World Records, the project offers a distinctive platform for exploring creativity, collaboration and international cultural exchange.

PIECES can become a memorable addition to exhibitions, festivals, conferences, cultural programmes and public events. The project can be presented through original artworks, exhibitions, large-scale installations, publications and interactive activations, with formats adapted to the space, audience and objectives of each partner.

At the heart of PIECES is a simple idea: each artist contributes one part of the story before passing it to another artist, who continues it without knowing where the story will ultimately lead. The resulting work demonstrates how differently people can interpret the same idea and how individual creative voices can contribute to a larger creative dialogue.

For audiences, PIECES offers an accessible way to discover the possibilities of comics and visual storytelling while exploring broader ideas about collaboration, communication and cultural difference. It is particularly effective for introducing children and young people to the full spectrum of artistic practice and encouraging them to see creativity as something open, collaborative and unpredictable.

For festivals and cultural organisations, PIECES can provide a programme that combines exhibition, participation and education. It can be accompanied by artist talks, presentations, collaborative workshops and school programmes, allowing audiences not only to see the project but to experience its underlying creative process themselves.

The international nature of PIECES also makes it a powerful platform for cultural exchange. Artists from different countries contribute to the same evolving work, creating a visual record of international dialogue and demonstrating how creative collaboration can connect people across geographical and cultural boundaries.

The project can be presented as an existing exhibition or developed into a bespoke installation, workshop programme or interactive activation. PIECES can also be adapted for festivals, schools, museums, galleries, libraries, conferences and other public settings.

For organisations looking for an original project that combines internationally recognised achievement, visual art, comics, education and participation, PIECES offers considerable scope for collaboration.

If you would like to bring PIECES to your audience or develop something new around the project,

Bring PIECES to your audience
LET'S CONNECT

www.piecesbooks.com