The Proliferation Of Legal Art Squats In Paris

Former illegal art squats in Paris are increasingly being renovated into quality legal studio and exhibition space by the city. Seeing that artists were occupying and entertaining visitors in abandoned buildings anyway, the city government began upgrading these spaces in 2006.

The New York Times reports:

“Every artist dreams of moving to Paris,” said Christophe Girard, the city’s deputy mayor for culture. Combined with high rents, this Bohemian drive has produced decades of squats, from Picasso’s Bateau-Lavoir to Hôpital Éphémère, which was taken over by artists in the ’80s and ’90s. “This doesn’t mean that every squat is wonderful, but some obviously become part of a city heritage and must be preserved,” Mr. Girard said.

Les Frigos — “the refrigerators” — a 43,000-square-foot frozen storage depot, was bought by the city in 2004. Today, about 200 artists live and work there. Although visitors are officially welcome only on designated days, it’s usually fine to show up and ask a resident for a tour. (This is a general rule for squat hopping in Paris: some of these places may look forbidding, but a wink and a smile can help to schmooze your way in.)

“Once a squat gets renovated, the law stipulates that you are not allowed to use the place as living premises, just use it as work space,” said Julien de Casabianca, the founder of Le Laboratoire de Création, a renovated squat on an elegant stretch of rue St.-Honoré. “Of course, no one ever lives there officially, but the reality is often quite different,” he said. “Squatting, legalized or not, is a lifestyle.”

New York Times: “In Paris, Art Fills the Void”