Cyril Lancelin, the artist who breathes dreams into public spaces

Having trained as an architect, Lancelin left his practice to bring primitive forms and bold colours to public spaces. From Hangzhou to New York, his labyrinths, pyramids and arches encourage passers-by to step inside the artwork and take photographs. Born in Lyon in 1975, he creates digital designs of his structures before commissioning manufacturers from around the world to produce them. His philosophy can be summed up in one sentence: “It is the public who bring the artwork to life.”

From architecture to art

Cyril Lancelin

It all began in Lyon, where Lancelin graduated with a degree in architecture in 1999. The profession quickly led him to work for leading firms. After three years in Los Angeles and a return to France, he found himself immersed in the world of luxury, surrounded by artists. In these offices, he was already in a role that brought him close to the creative process: 3D modelling, imagery, and film. The desire to move to the other side never left him. He knows that architects and artists have always drawn inspiration from and looked to one another. It was a porous boundary that he would eventually cross.

The Marfa moment

Cyril Lancelin – Remember your Dreams – Porsche – the Art of Dreams – Singapore 2022 – photo Dan Visuals ©

The turning point came in Texas. During his time in the US, the architect became fascinated by the minimalist, understated and angular aesthetic of the Swiss and Japanese masters. He travelled as far as Marfa, in the heart of the desert, where the artist Donald Judd had established the Chinati Foundation on a former military site. It was a two-day drive from California to see works set directly within the landscape, which could be explored without the constraints of time or crowds. The experience moved him deeply. “I had unlimited time, and that made me want to turn to art,” he recalls. The lesson was obvious: some buildings take ten years to construct, while an installation takes barely a few weeks. He would never let go of that immediacy and freedom to focus on the idea.

Instagram: the turning point

Cyril Lancelin- Knot - Hangzhou - 2017 - photo Sam Hsueh ©

Back in France, a new chapter began. As the father of three daughters, Cyril and his wife, who is from Aix-en-Provence, dreamed of moving to the south and settled in Lyon, his hometown. In the evenings, he would draw and post his work on social media. It soon paid off: strangers spotted his work, shared it, and the first commissions followed. Instagram broke down the barriers that had long made access to galleries and clients so difficult. In 2017, he completed his first major project in China: Knot: a thirty-metre-long, pink, inflatable labyrinth installed in Hangzhou, modelled on a cloverleaf knot and consisting of a single line knotted upon itself. The images went viral. A second project followed in New York. The process was set in motion.

Parametric design

Cyril Lancelin- Arches Waterfall – The Hyundai Store – Daegu 2022

Cyril Lancelin works alone on his computer using 3D modelling software. His ‘alphabet’ consists of just a few shapes: spheres, cubes, pyramids and arches. Parametric design gives him a rare degree of flexibility: a simple adjustment can transform a square into a circle, for example, and enable him to run through numerous trials in record time. He immediately places a human figure next to each structure, as scale is everything. Then come the wind, cost and visitor flow. Finally, he must convince the manufacturers of inflatables, a rare breed with perhaps one or two per country. The best moment comes next: encountering the finished work.

“Every time I walk into a room, I’m surprised – it’s magic,” he confides. The drawing becomes space; the idea becomes an experience.

Colour: a bold choice

Cyril Lancelin – The Meeting Place – collaboration with Benny Or – Metaverse – Spatial IO -2022

The first piece of work to reach a wide audience was a pink pyramid pierced by a tunnel. The choice of colour was by no means trivial. Pink, he explains, stands out best against a natural backdrop: blue blends into the sky, and green disappears into the landscape. After creating two pink pieces, he rejected the label and now assigns a different colour to each project. His background as an architect informs this approach: on a building, he says, the colour would inevitably turn grey due to a lack of consensus. His installations, however, are ephemeral… a freedom he relishes. Once again, choosing a bold colour becomes a conscious choice, almost a manifesto against the greyness of cities.

Brands: a playground

Cyril Lancelin- Remember your Dreams – Porsche – the Art of Dreams – Stuttgart 2022

Cyril Lancelin- Pyramid R5 -Renault – Maison&Objet – Paris-2024

Cyril Lancelin – Imaginary Harvest of Hazelnuts – Diptyque – London 2024 – Kamil Dziubczynski ©

Cyril Lancelin x Lancôme- Pyramid of Care – Shanghai 2023 – KD Art ©

In 2021, Porsche commissioned him to create the first installation for its ‘The Art of Dreams’ programme. Remember Your Dreams, a purple inflatable monument whose curves echo those of cars, was first installed at the Palais Galliera in Paris, before travelling to Singapore, England, and Stuttgart. Although it was conceived for a single event, it has found a second life. Far from stifling the artist, the commission stimulates and challenges him. “I always put forward several ideas, so that the dialogue never stops,” he explains. Each collaboration opens up rare opportunities: access to the archives of Diptyque, Lancôme and La Prairie, collaboration with Google’s engineers and Snapchat’s virtual reality specialists. He firmly believes that art should not remain confined to museums or private collections; it should be accessible to all.

The public brings the artwork to life

Cyril Lancelin- Mille lieux sous le rose -Centre Pompidou – Paris -2024

Ultimately, what matters is the moment when the visitor steps into the room. Cyril Lancelin’s works are meant to be walked through, touched, and photographed. He enjoys seeing the photos taken by members of the public and shared online, which are so different from the official images: a child running, an unexpected light. He recalls the pink cubes co-produced with the Centre Pompidou for Mille Formes, a children’s art centre in Clermont-Ferrand, where the parents enjoyed themselves as much as the children. This generosity gives rise to a resolutely optimistic vision. “Everything we create is an alphabet for tomorrow,” he remarks. In 2026, his grand labyrinth will open at the Balloon Museum in New York. This will be followed by a commission for a Canadian house in January 2027 and then an exhibition on snowflakes in Australia.