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.

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.

Point Ephémère on Canal St Martin

Text and image by Will Best

If you allow yourself to meander down the Canal St Martin, you’ll stumble upon the industrial outer body of artistic haven Point Ephémère.  Once a factory, Point Ephémère now buzzes to a bohemian vibe thanks to the foresight and community based initiative from Usines Ephémère, the non-profit organisation overseeing the goings-on. The space includes 5 music studios, one dance studio, a fabric workshop, a multimedia platform and four visual art studios for artistic residence activities.  Professional and amateur artists, dancers, musicians or even large installation specialists are invited to apply for in-house residencies of up to six months, where hard to acquire materials and specialist tools are at hand to render the careful process of developing an oeuvre. 

Join VINGT at 59 rue de Rivoli - L'Aftersquat

Originally a squat occupied by the KGB (Kalex, Gaspard and Bruno), three artists have been at the forefront of the renovation of 59 rue de Rivoli and attracted many more to the group (an Association Loi 1901).

In days gone by the squat was threatened with expulsion even though it was allegedly the third most visited contemporary art venue in Paris. Ten years passed between legal issues and renovation and finally, on September 9 the centre re-opened with a new name "L'Aftersquat", under Paris City Hall sponsorship.

Danielle Voirin, a photographer who has documented the lives of many of the artists through a long-running project, covered the opening.  Join VINGT Paris for a special visit to 59 Rivoli/L'aftersquat and meet 22 artists from 10 different countries.

Sunday September 27th at 6:00 p.m. 

Creative Writing Classes for the Autumn

For any aspirational writers out there in need of refinement and inspiration....

Artist and essayist Sarah Riggs will lead a class in creative writing at the Tamaas Foundation,  84 rue de Ménilmontant, 20e starting on September 29th. Her classes explore poetry and journal writing, and will offer her own experience as well as that of other writers for a supportive environment. 

The first class will be Tuesday September 29th from 16:30 to 18:30.  Email sarah direct at sriggs (at) freesurf.fr for more information.

John Baxter, co-director of the Paris writers workshop, is offering a series of three-day Master Classes on the writing of memoir, biography and autobiography. 

Conflux Call for Applications - Art and Technology Festival in New York

Through an open submissions process, ConfluxCity will provide a platform for artists, urban geographers, technologists and others to organize and produce innovative activities dedicated to the examination, celebration and (re)construction of everyday urban life.

Drawing inspiration from Burning Man’s creed of radical self-reliance and BarCamp’s philosophy of openness and participation, ConfluxCity will adopt an open-space approach in which participants will be expected to organize, promote, and host their own activities and events.

To facilitate this format, the Conflux Festival headquarters and website will serve as a central communications hub directing festival attendees outward to individual event websites and locations.

ConfluxCity participants must submit their proposal by August 15th ($10 administrative fee). All proposals will be judged based on artistic merit, originality, and feasibility.

Guidelines and application information here.

Tokyo Art Club

The Tokyo Art Club aims to bring together art lovers and collectors focusing on contemporary creations.

Every Wednesday the Tokyo Art Club welcomes an artist, a figure in the art world or a personality associated with art, for a meeting followed by a glass of wine / party.

Every three months, a meeting with MarcOlivier Wahler, the director of the Palais de Tokyo, makes it possible to learn about the organization of exhibitions before of their openings, any purchase of a work of art exhibited is also offered at a reduced price from your taxable income**. 

Membership of the TOKYO ART CLUB is open to private individuals and businesses, and is valid for one year.

CAMAC, Marnay Art Center Residency Program

The artist in residence program at CAMAC aims to bring together artists in mid or advanced career stages from all countries and all disciplines (writing, painting, sculpture, architecture, design, multimedia and video art, new technologies, installation art, music, dance, etc.) for a concentrated period of one to six months.

This program aims to support residents in their creative explorations, investigations, and personal growth in an environment of communication and exchange. With its location in Marnay-sur-Seine, participants can benefit from the French countryside without being cut off from the cosmopolitan richness of Paris.

Open Artist Call: A Book About Death

A BOOK ABOUT DEATH is an open, unbound book produced by artists worldwide. Artists are invited to create a "page" in the form of a postcard about death– any aspect about death. Works can be of any design, personal or conceptual, color or black and white.

The original work about death stays with you, the artist. The 500 postcards produced from the work is for the exhibition, and are sent to the gallery.

Artists can include any information about themselves on the cards, front or back.

There are no taboos here, no age limits, no areas or ideas that are prohibited.  The exhibition organizers only ask that you submit good work, worthy of an interesting and exciting page in this global book

The 500 post cards are then mailed to the gallery in New York City for exhibition. DEADLINE FOR CARDS TO BE IN THE GALLERY: SEPTEMBER 5, 2024.

Photo: Postcard image by artist Pete Gray

Artsetter : A New Site for Artists

Candice Thompson writing for I V Y paris

Artsetter, newly online, offers a platform for people to talk and share ideas about contemporary art as well as providing its artists with a free online gallery where they can exhibit and sell their art directly to buyers.

The site works similar to the other social networking platforms you know where you register and get your own profile page. The difference is that the main focus is art (which we love and support so that’s a brilliant focus to have).

Beautifully designed and super easy to navigate, once you’ve got an idea of how it works. The focus of Artsetter is to revolutionize the art market so that the readers decide which artists should get international exposure and not a couple of faraway moguls sipping champers. Up until now the art market has been closed and just a weeny bit elitist (I’m being nice) and Artsetter wants to change that, allowing its members to vote for their favourite artists so that the choice is fair and transparent.