De la participation en art

Participative art (“participatory art”, depending on the author) recently emerged on the art scene, placing people’s participation at the centre of the creative process. This new form of art reminds us of the fundamental principles of democracy, and, more precisely, of participatory democracy, which renews the very notion of participation. From these observations a question arises : How can art draw from democracy’s fundamental principles while remaining in the Art field ? This article will focus on the relationship between art and politics, and seeks to revisit the border between art's autonomy and the instrumentalization of art for social or political aims. In order to do so, it will introduce a case of possible association between art and civic participation : the Ecomusee du fier monde in Montreal, Canada.