ESCP unveils “1819 Pieces”, a work by Luke Conroy for International Art Day

ESCP celebrates International Art Day with an original work

On 15 April, ESCP Business School marks International Art Day by unveiling a new work by Luke Conroy.

Titled 1819 Pieces, this ambitious digital artwork offers a visual immersion into the School’s DNA: an international community built on diversity, curiosity, and dialogue.

With nearly 11,000 students and 90,000 alumni representing around 140 nationalities, ESCP asserts a unique identity. “As our Executive President Léon Laulusa often says, we are a Society of Nations,” recalls Marianne Conde-Salazar, Brand & Communications Director.

While English is the common language of this global community, the School makes a different choice here: that of emotion. “Art is the most powerful universal language, because it speaks beyond words and cultures,” she explains.

“1819 Pieces”: a digital artwork between past, present, and future

With 1819 Pieces, Luke Conroy presents an immersive digital artwork at the crossroads of collage and contemporary fresco. Inspired by the school’s archives since its founding in 1819, the piece takes the form of a dynamic visual map.

Fragments of images, historical references, and contemporary projections intertwine in a dense and colourful composition. The artist constructs a true “mind map” in which ESCP appears as a living organism.

“The school is not a fixed date, but an infinite multiplication of trajectories and possibilities,” emphasises Gweltaz Joubin, Head of Brand Design at ESCP, who welcomes the way the artist has captured the institution’s constant transformation, driven by the journeys of its students and alumni around the world.

Diversity at the heart of ESCP’s identity

At the centre of 1819 Pieces lies a strong message: the richness of cultural differences. The artwork brings together a multitude of elements that coexist, interact, and complement one another.

“This piece speaks to values we are deeply committed to: respect for others, curiosity about others, and attention to differences,” explains Sandrine Kiefer, Internal Communication Manager, who coordinated the project.

A dialogue between cultures and campuses

With campuses across several European cities, ESCP builds its model on mobility and exchange. This dimension is at the core of Luke Conroy’s work.

Interview with Luke Conroy

In 1819 Pieces, images move, intersect, and respond to one another, mirroring student journeys. “Our community is in a constant search for understanding others, from one campus to another, from one culture to another,” Marianne points out.

The artwork thus becomes a visual representation of this international dynamic, where each individual experience enriches the collective.

Art as a vector of values and leadership

For ESCP, this initiative goes beyond an artistic project. It is part of a broader reflection on the transmission of values in higher education.

It is impossible to train future leaders without giving a central place to values. And art is the most appropriate language to convey them, because it speaks directly to emotions.

Through 1819 Pieces, ESCP offers a sensitive approach to leadership, based on listening, openness, and respect.

By bringing cultures, eras, and identities into dialogue, Luke Conroy delivers a creation that reflects the school itself: multifaceted, dynamic, and forward-looking.