COMMENT

“Ça va?” (“How are you?” in English): a question so seemingly harmless, familiar and almost automatic. We say it daily, often without expecting an answer or questioning its meaning. It becomes routine, a salutation, a social reflex more than a genuine expression of care.

By distorting it from everyday speech and boldly displaying it on a window, screen-printed front and center and highly visible, this question retakes a certain weight. It confronts us differently. Behind the first iteration, printed directly onto the glass in striking red, a second version emerges: the same question, screen-printed in reflective ink, only visible under direct light. This interplay of transparency and revelation makes tangible the gap between what we say and what we feel, between what’s visible and what remains hidden. It highlights the quiet persistence of this phrase which, when truly heard and processed, can suddenly open an introspective space.

In the public sphere, this intervention acts as a pause. It interrupts the flow. Passersby, caught off guard by such a simple question, might find themselves hesitating for a moment. What if, this time, “ça va?” wasn’t just a polite formality, but a real question?