Spring has finally come, flowers are blossoming in Parisian squares and gardens, and it’s the perfect season to take an art walk! Here’s our April selection of free exhibits in the capital’s Eastern neighborhoods, from the banks of Canal Saint-Martin to the hills of Belleville and Ménilmontant:
Agrume – “Temporel”
Until April 19th
A few steps away from Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, the Cabinet d’Amateur features a series of self-portraits by street artist Agrume. In line with the theme of the exhibit , he combines mediums and materials, alternatively favoring “the wear and tear of sandpaper, the rust of metal, engraving, notches, crumbling, paper ripped to shreds.”
The artist will be present from 3pm to 7pm on Sunday, April 14, to sign the exhibition catalog of “Temporel” – with a limited edition of 50 signed copies.
Tuesday to Saturday: 2pm-7pm – Sunday: 2pm-5pm
Le Cabinet d’Amateur
12 rue de la Forge Royale, 75011 Paris
www.lecabinetdamateur.com
Pierre Boucher, Jean Moral & André Steiner – “La Bascule du Regard”
April 13th – June 15th
Once again, Paris Lights Up can only recommend a visit to the gallery Les Douches this month! Starting April 13, it will feature the artworks of three pioneers of experimental photography from the 1920s: Pierre Boucher, Jean Moral, and André Steiner.
Inspired by the changes – and revolutions – of the time (increasing electrification, development of new modes of transportation, artistic and architectural movements such as Bauhaus), these three figures of the Nouvelle Vision enjoy the growing appeal of photography to reinvent this young medium, playing with shapes, contrasts and techniques to explore decidedly modern aesthetics.
Wednesday to Saturday: 2pm-7pm
Les Douches La Galerie
5, rue Legouvé 75010 Paris
lesdoucheslagalerie.com
William Daniels – “Wilting Point”
Until April 11th
After the success of the Willy Ronis exhibit, the Pavillon Carré de Baudouin welcomes documentary photographer William Daniels, who just published his new book « Wilting Point ».
From the Bangladesh-Myanmar border to Kashmir, the Central African Republic and Kyrgyzstan: William Daniels favors a frontal, engaged, and often painful photography style to give a harrowing testimony of uprooted communities sharing common curses.
Tuesday to Saturday: 11am-6pm
Pavillon Carré de Baudouin
121 Rue de Ménilmontant, 75020 Paris
+33 (0)1 58 53 55 40
https://www.pavilloncarredebaudouin.fr
Katre – “Point de fuite”
Until May 31st
A trailblazer of graffiti and urbex, the artist Katre takes us along in his journey under the vaults and hangars of abandoned factories in “Point de fuite” (Vanishing Point), his second solo show at the Galerie Wallorks.
Displayed on large glass frames, his artworks are the result of experiments combining several mediums: photography, graffiti, painting and serigraphy come together to give these empty spaces a new life, suddenly electrified by bright convergence lines.
Monday to Saturday: 2pm-7pm
Galerie Wallworks
4 rue Martel, 75010 Paris
wallworks.fr/galerie_wallworks
Elsa Leydier – “Transatlántica”
Until April 20th
A few steps away from the bustling Rue de Belleville, the Galerie Intervalle features three recent series (2016 to 2018) by the talented Elsa Leydier. Based in Brazil and with prior works in Colombia, the photographer uses textures and colors to “highlight the role of the image in the construction of the imaginary of a natural environment”.
In her latest series “#elenão”, the artist explores the discordance between the tropical clichés that too often characterizes Brazil and its most chilling drifts, especially following the elections which saw Bolsonaro and his followers reach the country’s highest positions last year.
Thursday and Friday: 2pm-7pm – Saturday: 12pm-7pm
Galerie Intervalle
12 rue Jouye Rouve, 75020 Paris
+33 (0)1 43 15 94 58
http://www.galerie-intervalle.com
Ad Minoliti – “Playboard”
Until May 4th
Based in Buenos Aires, multidisciplinary artist Ad Minoloti is coming to Paris to present surprising installations mixing “art history, architecture, queer feminism, interior design, animalism and speculative fiction”.
Climb to the top of Ménilmontant to find the Galerie Crèvecoeur and check out her vibrant work combining geometry and sensuality. Through the many mediums bringing life to her pieces (painting, installations, prints, clothes, not to mention videos and gifs!), Ad Minoliti shows her command of shapes, colors – and surprises.
Wednesday to Saturday: 11am – 7pm
Galerie Crèvecoeur
9 Rue des Cascades, 75020 Paris
+33 (0)9 54 57 31 26
galeriecrevecoeur.com
Mügluck – “Haute Saison”
Until April 20th
A few blocks away from the Place de la République, the wonderful Slow Galerie features illustrator Mügluck’s “Haute Saison” with a series of her refreshing works.
A French artist living in Montréal, Mügluck favors a colorful palette which may recall memories of your last summers under the sun: azure tides, patios shaded by trees, vegetal brush strokes and leisurely times are not lacking in this peaceful exhibit.
Tuesday to Friday: 10pm-7:30pm – Saturday: 11am-7pm
Slow Gallery
5 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris
+33 (0)1 43 55 44 68
www.slowgalerie.com
Janine Niépce – “Une photographie française”
Until May 18th
Janine Niépce was a member of the French Resistance during World War II, one of the first female photojournalists, and a pioneer in documenting the history of the women’s rights movement: yet if her career reads like a succession of superlatives, they’re hardly enough to describe its depth and richness.
With “Une photographie française”, the Polka Galerie takes us in her footsteps in the streets of Paris and on the roads of France. This exhibit is the perfect occasion to discover the unique and humanist vision of globe-trotter Janine Niépce in her home country.
Tuesday to Saturday: 11am-7pm
Polka Galerie
Cour de Venise – 12-14 Rue Saint-Gilles, 75003 Paris
+33 (0)1 76 21 41 30
www.polkagalerie.com
Avi Sperber & Suki Valentine – “Languages of Environment”
Until May 4th
On the hills of Belleville, the gallery Mémoire de l’Avenir presents “Languages of Environment”, a surprising dialogue between Israeli sculptor Avi Sperber and American artist Suki Valentine, who share an “inclusion of environment and nature in their artistic writing.”
Through pieces questioning the relation between humanity and the environment that surrounds and influences its members, the two artists link memories and associations to “impressions left by places, people, nature and objects.”
Monday to Saturday: 2pm-7pm
Mémoire de l’Avenir
45-47 rue Ramponneau, 75020 Paris
www.memoire-a-venir.org
Allan Villavicencio – “La recherche du rayon vert”
Until May 25th
Neighboring the Boulevard de Belleville, Maëlle Galerie presents the exhibit “La recherche du rayon vert”, featuring the intriguing works of Mexican artist Allan Villavicencio, a laureate of the country’s national grant for the arts FONCA last year.
“Inspired by spatial experimentations inherent to Mexican muralism, by virtual and digital spaces, and by the energy peculiar to the urban environment”, the artist creates surprising landscapes of paint, where fragmentation and disorientation alternate in an abundance of colors and textures.
Wednesday to Saturday: 2pm-7pm
Maëlle Galerie
1-3 rue Ramponneau, 75020 Paris
www.maellegalerie.com
Cover picture: Étude de mains, c. 1934 – Courtesy Les Douches la Galerie, Paris N° Inv. AS1902022 © André Steiner
One thought on “April 2019 : 10 Free Exhibits to See in Eastern Paris”