Art and de-coincidence: an introduction

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26485/AI/2025/27/1

Keywords:

art, de-coincidence, difference-de-coincidence, coincidence, rediscovery of possibilities

Abstract

The subject of this text is the relationship between art and de-coincidence understood as arts operandi that promotes innovation, creativity and the rediscovery of possibilities. This issue is examined against the backdrop of a comprehensive analysis of philosophical discourse, especially positions expressing a departure from the philosophy of being and the relationships/differences between the category of difference in the works of Deleuze, Derrida and Foucault and the cat-egory of de-coincidence introduced by Jullien. In order to familiarise the reader with the concept of decoincidence, the author cites a number of examples of the de-coincidental in art, such as the emergence of impressionism, which can be understood as the discovery of new possibilities in painting, or the construction of the Eiffel Tower as an example of a processual transition from coincidence in architecture and the model of ‘beauty’ to de-coincidence. This narrative develops the main thesis, which emphasises the liberating significance of the de-coincidence attitude in art, which, through enlightenment, enables the discovery of new possibilities and promotes awareness of the enslaving significance of coincidence, which reassures the subject in the reproduction of established forms and meanings.

Author Biography

François Jullien, Paris Diderot University

French philosopher, Hellenist, sinologist, who develops original concepts of transformation suspended between Chinese and European thought in his numerous books.
In his works, he reflects on interculturality and the philosophy of existence and life. He proposes a different approach to change, which he situates as thinking about transformations. He is one of the contemporary French thinkers whose works have been translated into more than 20 languages. He is the founder and president of the Association De-coincidence (L'Association Décoïncidences).
François Jullien's work is known to Polish readers thanks to existing translations of his books into Polish: Pochwała nieokreśloności. Zapiski o myśli i estetyce Chin, transl. B. Szymańska, A. Śpiewak, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Kraków 2006; Drogą okrężną i wprost do celu. Strategie sensu w Chinach i Grecji, transl. M. Falski, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Kraków 2006.
In June 2024, at the invitation of the Łódź Scientific Society, François Jullien visited Poland, giving a series of lectures at meetings with readers of his latest book in Polish: Ponownie otworzyć możliwości: kolejne życie, de-koincydencja. Wybór tekstów, trasl. and ed. E. Marynowicz-Hetka, Łódź 2024, Wyd. Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, in which he develops the category of de-coincidence understood as ars operandi /the art of action/life, oriented towards reopening possibilities and noticing the cracks of transformation.

References

Jullien François (2017) De l’inouï, l’autre nom de ce si lassent réel, Paris: Grasset.

Jullien François (2018) Dé-coïncidence, d’où viennent l’art et l’existence, Paris: Grasset.

Jullien François (2020) Dé-coïncidence, d’où viennent l’art et l’existence, Paris: “Livre de Poche” edition.

Jullien François (2023a) Rouvrir des possibles, Paris: Éditions de l’Observatoire.

Jullien François (2023b) Raviver de l’esprit, un diagnostic du contemporain, Paris: Éditions de l’Observatoire.

L’Yvonnet François, Guillaume Marc, eds. (2023) Pratiques de la dé-coïncidences, Paris: Éditions de l’Observatoire.

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Published

2025-12-17

Issue

Vol. 27 (2025): De-coïncidence in Art: A Challenge or a Solution?

Section

Part I. Theoretical Frameworks - ARTICLES

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.