Collaboration between an artist and a company: what the Lexus project with muralist Julia Prajza teaches us

We often imagine artistic practice as something separate, a personal territory shaped by research, solitude, and repetition. And yet, there are moments when that work meets something else. A context. A commission. A company. And it is often in that space that a practice begins to shift.

In a recent project, Lexus Canada invited two Canadian artists, Julia Prajza and Megan Oldhues, to intervene on a car as part of a project inspired by the world of Cirque du Soleil. The brief was clear: to propose an artistic interpretation connected to that universe, and in Julia Prajza’s case, more specifically to the show Luzia.

We had in fact interviewed Julia Prajza in Issue 2 of Art & Surface, dedicated to the art of exhibiting. Her work was presented there in a context closer to her practice, grounded in her relationship to space and surface.

This new project feels almost like an extension. No longer exhibiting on a wall, but intervening on an object. No longer simply presenting a body of work, but allowing it to enter into dialogue with a brand, a universe, a specific context.

And this is not the first time that Julia, as a muralist, has translated her work onto objects. This ability to adapt her visual language to different surfaces is an integral part of her practice, and likely one of the reasons why this kind of collaboration feels so coherent.

The goal here is not simply to decorate a car. It is to translate an already rich imaginative world, that of Cirque du Soleil, while integrating a distinct artistic voice. In the interpretation inspired by Luzia, there is a sense of magic, of an enchanted world, of fantasy that reflects both Julia’s universe and that of the show.

From the company’s perspective, this type of collaboration makes it possible to create an experience, to move beyond technical discourse and enter something more sensory. Art becomes a language, a way of telling a different story, of anchoring a product within a broader visual culture.

From the artist’s perspective, however, the stakes are different. How do you respond to a commission without losing yourself? How do you adapt your work without diluting it? This kind of collaboration requires more than talent. It requires clarity, coherence, and the ability to be quickly recognized for what you do.

In Julia Prajza’s case, her universe does not disappear within the project. It adapts, but remains identifiable. And that is precisely what companies are looking for. Not an interchangeable style, but a signature that can exist within another framework without losing its strength.

These kinds of one-time collaborations are not necessarily accessible to everyone, nor immediately. But they are not out of reach either. They often begin with a practice that is clear, a presence that is consistent, and a way of presenting one’s work that allows others to quickly understand what is being offered.

The next issue of Art & Surface will continue this reflection. Entirely dedicated to the art of collaboration, it will explore different ways of working with others, whether between artists, with companies, or through collective projects, showing in concrete terms what these encounters can transform within a practice.

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