VINGT Paris News

Le Centquatre – Artistic Establishment of the City of Paris

Text by Tiffany Tang
Photo by Edouard Caupeil

Developed as one of the cultural projects by the Mairie de Paris with the vision of reviving the city’s contemporary art scene, Le Centquatre – its name taken from the street number 104, Rue d'Aubervilliers - is an artistic hub for up-and-coming artists sharing creation space and synergy, under the glass ceiling of recently restored unique nineteenth century architecture. Situated in a humble neighborhood of the nineteenth arrondisement the former funeral parlour, was re-opened in October 2024 after its 100 million euro renovation. Currently led by the two directors Robert Cantarella and Frédéric Fisbach, Le Centquatre aims to provide a space where art and culture interact with the public without barriers.

Art and Life: One and the Same - Soulèvements and Deadline

Text by Kay Roberts

Two exhibitions, one in the east of Paris, one in the west, both focusing on the life of the artist. At La Maison Rouge 'Soulèvements'; a survey of Jean-Jacques Lebel's life, showing not only his works and archive but also his vast collection of works by other artists used to demonstrate his concerns and aesthetics. At Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris 'Deadline'; the works of twelve artists who died in the last twenty years are shown together, because they are works made in the shadow of predicted death. Two sides of the coin.

New Voices, New Projects - Arts Arena and Bilingual Acting Workshop

Text: Chris Holt
Photo: Jovita Valaityte and Claire Shovelton

For every successful artist in Paris, countless others are waiting for the opportunity to present their ideas to a wider audience. To help  cultivate some of this emerging talent, The Arts Arena and the Bilingual Acting Workshop are collaborating on New Voices, New Projects. This programme provides a Paris-based platform for artists to present new projects to experts in the industry and the broader international community. Each month, artists perform a new work-in-progress in an atelier-style setting, followed by a critical discussion. The first event, on October 2, 2024, was a miniature opera called Medousa, by the Vocal Motions Elastic Theatre. The show had just premiered in London and received a four-star rating from the Times.

Jean-Michel Frank at Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent

Text by Christopher Holt

The little-known Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent was created to preserve the 40-year legacy of YSL’s iconic couture house, which closed in 2024. The most recent show highlights the work of interior designer Jean-Michel Frank.

The exhibition consists of five separate furniture sets with pieces from the early 1920s to late 1930s. Three of these sets are featured in a single room and stand out for their sleek, minimal styling and striking use of materials such as of shagreen (sting ray leather), intricate straw marquetry and mica tiling. He used rich leather upholstery from Hermés, creating an affect that is both modest yet luxurious. Although his work clearly echoes the art-deco aesthetic of the period, it transcends the era through it's understated simplicity, appearing just as modern and relevant today.

SLICK Conference: When Art Gets Its Appetite

Sarah Moroz writing for VINGT Paris

Art is a feast for the eyes, as they say. A SLICK conference this Saturday (October 24) at 14h is suggesting that feasting your the eyes is but step one of art's sensual experience. And thus there is Le Goût de l’Art: Slick Dessert, a conference that merges the two wonders of the world, namely food and art. A bevy of panelists will weigh in on the nuances and delights of taste, both in terms of "aesthetic taste" and "taste-bud taste". Those panelists include: Philippe Mayaux, a plasticien who's received the prix Marcel Duchamp and created dîners-événements with chef Pierre Gagnaire; Jean-Marie Hiblot, of the Plaza Athénée, who works amongst 25 pâtissiers under Christophe Michalak; Marc Brétillot, a culinary designer who teaches at l’Ecole Supérieure d’Art et de Design de Reims, where he’s created his very own culinary design research atelier; Hélène Samuel, of the Delicabar and the Café Salle Pleyel; as well as restaurateur Fabrice Lextrait. Art and food consultant (...how do you get that job??) Frédéric Adida will moderate the event. You might want to get there early; if anyone else in this city is half as gourmand as we are, it could be quite a crowd.

Les Trois Murs du 20e

Ana Lee writing for I V Y paris

Strolling through Belleville is like a walk in an outdoor gallery - particularly when you hit les 3 Murs du 20e, consisting of rue Dénoyez, rue de l'Ermitage, and rue Ramponeau now known as "La Kommune". These three streets have now become outdoor creative spaces, transforming urban surfaces into artistic mediums.

One side of rue Dénoyez is a gigantic canvas, the other, a stream of artists' ateliers, dressed in Collectif Antipub's political messages. For those outside of paris, witness the ever-evolving murals on the street's blog here.

Further into the street, you'll find the gallery Frichez nous la Paix, featuring [indoor] work by local artists. Taggeurs can also submit signed stickers to sell - or if you collect sticker art, this is the place to go.

The wall's current graffiti artists include SIRIUS, NACIO, and SKIO, and if you're lucky you can catch Nice Art stenciling familiar faces (Rimbaud, Proust...) on a Sunday afternoon.

I V Y paris is 'Been There' guest in the Guardian

The Guardian has asked IVY paris for our take on the underground art scene of the city. Read our full article Art in the Banlieues of Paris in their Travel section.

As much as we Brits and Yanks would love to find some version of our own Hackney or Williamsburg, here there is little need for an underground. With its (champagne) socialist town hall, the city has always provided plenty of funding, space and publicity for the arts, so who needs to be a starving artist?

If you've traipsed through the contemporary galleries and experienced the numerous publicly endorsed events you will likely be left feeling a little underwhelmed. There isn't the competition (and with it perhaps the excitement) of London or New York. Even the famous art squats like Les-Frigos in the 13th arrondissement are now funded by the city. So much for sticking it to the man ... 

Photo by Danielle Voirin

Les Plans d'Avril

The festival Plans d'Avril is a multidisciplinary artistic circuit around Paris. Their full programme involves dance, theatre, music and visual arts events, heavily influenced by cinema.

Music is accompanied by film (see the Compagnie de la Cordonnerie's Ali Baba et les 40 voleurs) or extracted from soundtracks (see Alex Beaupin).

Dance also carries a cinematic aspect with Cie Beau Geste's Ze Bal! inspired by musicals from Hollywood to Bollywood.

Other artists / performances include: Andrea Sitter, Sophie Tandel, Philippe LeMaire and Julian Tatham.

Tickets on sale on Fnac.com.

At Point Ephémère from April 3rd to the 5th.
186, quai de Valmy – 75010 Paris
M°: Jaurès (2, 5, 7 bis), Louis Blanc (7)

At L’Étoile du nord from April 6th to the 11th.
16, rue Georgette Agutte – 75018 Paris
M°: Guy Môquet (13), Porte de Saint-Ouen (13)

At Centre musical Fleury Goutte d’Or – Barbara on April 11th.
1, rue Fleury – 75018 Paris
M°: Barbès-Rochechouart (2, 4) RER : Gare du Nord (B, D)

David Law at the Hotel Meridien Montparnasse, Restaurant Justine

« Mannequins... »

For many years David Law has kept a watchful eye on store window mannequins. He studies these solitary beauties as a reflection of contemporary life. Through his photos David Law seeks to unravel the mystery of these prototypical women's souls, as they provide him with a mirror of our existence. They cast out an image of our perseverance to engage in an ideology of perfection.

For Law, mannequins symbolize illusion, the dream of luxury and the unattainability of a flawless world. As he captures his images, he engages the natural echo of light rebounding from the store windows, providing a projection of city images, and our reality, superimposed upon the ideal.

Just another night with Bill.

The pink and red glow from Eric Mircher's gallery last Friday night on rue Saint Claude was garnering plenty of attention. A rock concert in a closet? A fake tattoo parlor with video art projected in the background? And then in the morning, the Saint Claude gallery scene was restored to normality, with white walls, stuff on podiums, and over-size photos.

It's what you'd expect from Bill, a group of event specialists who've been throwing the best parties on the scene in recent months. Be sure to check our site in the coming months when we tip off the next Bill event.