59 Rivoli, 104Paris, 19M and POUSH are four unusual venues on the Paris art circuit whose stimulating, alternative and inspirational proposals contribute to oxygenate the solid cultural scene of the City of Light, the cultural capital of the planet.

59 RIVOLI: el Tacheles Parisian

Located at number 59 on the legendary Rivoli shopping street in the centre of Paris, 59 Rivoli is made up of 30 artists’ studios and an exhibition area. Fifteen studios are permanent; the other 15 are dedicated to residencies of between 3 and 6 months. Since its inception in the late 1990s, more than 500 artists have contributed to the legacy of 59 Rivoli. Workshops and concerts are also organised here. The history of this Parisian Tacheles dates back to 1999, when the KGB (Kalex, Gaspard, Bruno) squatted an abandoned building – owned by Crédit Lyonnais and the French state – and refurbished it.

The objectives were ‘to revive an empty site, to create a place where artists could create, live and exhibit, and to demonstrate the validity of a cultural alternative’. Although there have been several eviction attempts over the past decades, 59 Rivoli is one of the three most visited contemporary art centres in Paris, and one of the ten most visited in France. The art in this squat building located a stone’s throw from the Louvre permeates everything, including the staircase… Open Tuesday to Sunday, 1pm to 8pm. Admission free. You can apply for a residency by filling in the questionnaire on the website.

https://www.59rivoli.org/

CENTQUATRE-PARIS: stimulation of contemporary arts

Located in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, CENTQUATRE-PARIS is a space for artistic residencies, production and dissemination of the arts for audiences and artists from all over the world. Conceived as a platform for collaboration, it offers access to all contemporary arts: performances, concerts, exhibitions, workshops and meetings. Every year, it hosts the Circulation(s) Festival, dedicated to photography, and the Némo Biennial, dedicated to digital art. 104Paris also offers free spaces for artistic practices and children’s education. Theatre, dance, circus, concerts, exhibitions, digital arts, unidentified hybrid forms? CENTQUATRE-PARIS is curious about everything. And with almost 600,000 visitors a year, it doesn’t seem to be the only one!

https://www.104.fr/

19M: craftsmen and know-how

The 19M, a Chanel-owned space, bears the number 19 of the district in which it is located (Porte d’Aubervilliers); it is also the day on which Gabrielle Chanel was born. The M stands for ‘Métiers d’arts (Arts and Crafts)’, Fashion and Handicraft, as this centre is above all a tribute to craftsmen and their ‘savoir-faire’. Designed to bring together 11 Maisons d’art, the Maison ERES and the Galerie du 19M under one roof, the 19M is a multidisciplinary space of 25,500 m² open to the public (free admission).

At the time this video was made, the gallery was presenting an exhibition dedicated to the designer Stéphane Ashpool, creator of the Pigalle brand and the official clothing for France’s athletes for the 2024 Olympic Games. 19M is also a made-to-measure showcase for the 700 craftsmen and experts who work here every day. Finally, LA PARCELLE is the site’s cultural garden, designed as an ecological niche planted in the middle of the urban fabric. It houses beehives, bird perches, terrace cafés and various species of trees and plants. In addition, the centre and the garden offer a wide range of workshops.

https://www.le19m.com/

POUSH: energy and inspiration

Inaugurated in March 2020 in Clichy, POUSH will continue its adventure in April 2022 in Aubervilliers (outside Paris) with the ambition of developing a genuine creative and cultural district. Housed in the buildings of a former perfume factory, POUSH brings together a selection of 270 established and emerging artists of more than 40 nationalities on this 20,000 m² industrial campus. Artists here have access to workshops, as well as a programme of artistic and production support and administrative and communication assistance. POUSH brings together artists, curators and academics, and multiplies opportunities for exhibition, production and questioning. Its extraordinary exhibition spaces capture energy and inspiration.

It is also open to new artistic practices beyond the visual arts, such as dance and performance. It also has a space dedicated to sound art. POUSH also houses a thinkers’ bureau, which hosts eight curators, art critics and journalists in order to promote art theory, question emerging trends and integrate POUSH into the world of research. The images in the video show the ‘Nord-Est’ exhibition in one of the centre’s exhibition rooms. The exhibition is dedicated to the effervescent artistic and cultural diversity of the Seine-Saint-Denis department (north-west of Paris, hence the title).

https://poush.fr/

(Cover image: 59 RIVOLI. Photo: Paco Arteaga)