Why Collaboration Matters in Art

Ben Gulak and King Saladeen with their collaborative piece at NALA’s HQ’s in Toronto, Canada

by Ben Gulak, Founder of NALA | The Art Matchmaker

One of my favorite aspects of the art world is collaborating with other artists. There is something special about the energy that comes from combining different creative styles. I have always believed it is easy to fall into the trap of painting the same thing over and over, and before you know it, something that once felt inspired starts to feel repetitive and dull. As an artist, I know it's essential to find your unique voice, and that often means repetition. However, I see artists painting the same thing for a decade and have to believe they could do more.

When I first started painting, I leaned heavily on collaborations to get my work out there. I tried to work with as many artists as possible and looked for painters who were in a similar genre but brought their unique style to the table. I primarily worked with realistic pop art in acrylic, so I sought out collaborations with graffiti artists and oil painters. The goal was never to blend into one another but to amplify each other. Some of my favorite pieces ever came from those early collaborations. I was fortunate to work with artists like Jisbar, Richy Billion, King Saladeen, Mr. Myls, and Atomiko.

Ben at his studio

Even now, I still love the process of sending canvases back and forth or traveling to paint together in person. My love for collaborations sets the tone for the type of art I create and my vision for a future where artists work together, so that all boats can rise with the tide. I've seen many times how working with other artists can increase my collector base, and in doing so, allow both our collectors to own something new and highly unique.

I’ve always found that collaboration is one of the most effective tools for breaking out of a creative slump. Every artist, no matter how experienced, hits moments when the spark fades—whether it’s due to burnout, repetition, the frustration of not creating what you truly want, or the slow creep of self-doubt. As artists, we often work alone, pouring our personal thoughts, emotions, and techniques into our work. Opening up that space to another artist means letting go of total control and trusting someone else with your vision. But in that trust, something magical happens—ideas evolve, and something new emerges. I used to love working on a canvas that wasn’t mine to begin with; it pushed me to think within a different set of constraints and figure out how I could elevate someone else’s vision. That shift in perspective was invigorating. Collaboration reintroduces a sense of play and experimentation that’s easy to lose when you’re focused on producing, and more often than not, the creative tension between two styles leads to unexpected reinvention.

Jisbar X Ben Gulak Collaboration

Over the past year, I've been working on a personal global sketchbook project. Pages are sent from artist to artist around the world, each one adding their own piece or building on what someone else created. It's like a chain letter, but with acrylic, watercolor, pastels, pencils, and aerosol all put into a single sketchbook. The result is a mix of original creations and wild mashups that would never happen anywhere else.

One of the pages features King Saladeen's JP the Money Bear mixed with Atomiko's iconic orange character. Their styles collided in a way that was totally unexpected and worked so well. I loved how the page turned out and decided to have it made into a canvas. I brought Saladeen to Miami to paint it as a large canvas at the Museum of Graffiti with Atomiko. Neither artist had ever met in person before, and both were fans of each other's work and style. Bringing them together to meet in person and go through the brainstorming process, coming up with the color palette and details together, and watching two creatives work together was an incredible process. The final piece turned out amazing and kick-started a new NALA collaboration initiative.

We are launching a collaboration series that will bring together artists on the NALA platform to create joint works. The plan is to turn the completed pieces into prints and offer them for sale through our website. It is a simple idea with a big purpose behind it.

I have always believed that artists are the lifeblood of this entire industry. You could take away the galleries, the auctions, even the collectors, and art would still find a way. But if you take away the artists, it all stops. And yet, for some reason, this industry has never really embraced the idea of mentorship or community building. In every other field, you see successful people helping the next wave. In business, billionaires and millionaires mentor young entrepreneurs. However, in art, artists are often told to view one another as competitors.

That mindset needs to change.

Watch the BTS video

NALA has always put artists at the center. I founded the platform because of my own personal experiences in the industry, and nearly every decision I've made has been guided by those experiences. This collaboration program is about finding new ways for artists to work together, spark ideas, and create work that simply couldn't exist in isolation. I've seen firsthand how collaborations helped me reach new collectors and build unexpected relationships. My work leans more toward figurative realism within the pop and hype genres, and partnering with graffiti artists brought new energy and realism to their pieces. Their collectors discovered my work, and mine discovered theirs. Ultimately, the hope is simple: to show that in art, as in life, one plus one can equal three. Looking ahead, I aim to establish a mentorship program within NALA where established artists can help emerging talents successfully enter the marketplace.

The Saladeen x Atomiko collaboration is a vibrant and electric mashup that captures the raw energy of two iconic voices in street art. Atomiko's unmistakable orange character bursts onto the canvas with wide eyes and a signature Miami smile, while King Saladeen's JP the Money Bear stares out boldly, layered with expressive brushwork, palette knife streaks, energetic drips, and motion. The two figures collide at the center, surrounded by overlapping tags, color splashes, and bursts of energy. Neon pinks and electric blues light up the background, creating a joyful tension between the two distinctive styles. Saladeen's brushwork augments Atomiko's aerosol textures, creating a dynamic interplay that brings the canvas to life. You can clearly see the fingerprints of both artists, but together, they've created something neither could have achieved alone which was the goal all along. Our objective is to release new collaborations each month moving forward, and we welcome any artists interested in participating to reach out.