Presentation

Bétonsalon is a centre for con­tem­po­rary art and research. An art centre that aims to provide hands-on expe­ri­ence of cre­ativity in all its forms. A centre for research in action and in theory, where the forms of research and those of its sharing are to coin­cide and nascent lan­guages develop. A source of sit­u­ated prac­tices and knowl­edge which, in col­lab­o­ra­tion with the Université de Paris Cité, gen­er­ates new angles of approach, as it addresses common or diver­gent per­spec­tives. A sit­u­a­tion offering a pathway through uncer­tainty, where testing and decen­tring are resources capable of inventing ways of bringing us together. A reflexive, inclu­sive, fem­i­nist, anti-racist art insti­tu­tion, actively com­bating all forms of dis­crim­i­na­tion and of neces­sity required to provide proof of the imple­men­ta­tion of its stated ideals. A place recep­tive to its sur­round­ings, both locally and as part of inter­na­tional net­works of allies. A wel­coming site where the col­lec­tive dimen­sion is a daily com­mit­ment. A work­place where quality of life is paramount and hos­pi­tality is the con­cern of all. A living archive, free for reading and writing, where many art his­to­ries are being written. A training hub con­tributing to the pro­fes­sion­al­i­sa­tion of the sector. A room of our own, so to speak, a col­lec­tive ver­sion of the pre­req­ui­site – together with an income – for a cre­ative exis­tence, as stip­u­lated by Virginia Woolf in 1929. A room for us, for an open com­mu­nity made up of all the people – the team, the artists, the authors, the audi­ences, the part­ners – grav­i­tating around this public amenity. A refuge where bodies and voices find their place, where sev­eral lan­guages are spoken, and where we can think, see, hear, feel, imagine, share and enlarge on a mul­ti­tude of world­views. These per­spec­tives can create sol­i­darity by making us invent specific ways of doing and acting. Starting out with the com­mit­ment they demand of us, we will grad­u­ally estab­lish the pre­con­di­tions for get­ting our dif­ferent mes­sages across per­cep­tu­ally. Then we will have an art centre that will come up with a way of embodying the forces for freedom which are impor­tant to us.

The pro­gramme includes solo and group exhi­bi­tions by emerging, re-emerging, reputed and for­gotten artists; mul­ti­dis­ci­plinary events with max­imum emphasis on atten­tive­ness and inter­change; cul­tural liaison and research into exper­i­mental liaison and edu­ca­tional methods; research and cre­ation res­i­den­cies; and a mis­cel­lany of off-site activ­i­ties for var­ious publics and local bodies. Bétonsalon func­tions in col­lab­o­ra­tion with local, national and inter­na­tional organ­i­sa­tions.

A non-profit asso­ci­a­tion founded in 2003, Bétonsalon – Centre for Art and Research has been ensconced in the Université de Paris Cité, in the 13th arrondisse­ment, since 2007. It wasted no time in gaining a rep­u­ta­tion for research focused on exhi­bi­tions and cul­tural liaison, and was one of France’s pioneer art cen­tres in adopting decolo­nial and fem­i­nist stances and linking its artistic prac­tices to cul­tural and polit­ical con­texts. From 2016 to 2020 the asso­ci­a­tion also had a second site, the Villa Vassilieff, designed as a working and living envi­ron­ment favouring mat­u­ra­tion of ideas, encoun­ters and knowl­edge-sharing. Bétonsalon co-founder Mélanie Bouteloup directed the art centre from its begin­nings in 2003 until 2020, and a large number of people have con­tributed to its his­tory, as mem­bers of its teams and through a vast net­work of col­lab­o­ra­tors in France and around the world. Appointed as director of Bétonsalon in 2021, Émilie Renard is set­ting out to draw on its accu­mu­lated col­lec­tive imag­i­na­tion as a resource for building its iden­tity.

Bétonsalon – Centre for Art and Research is an offi­cial City of Paris cul­tural estab­lish­ment, with Ministry of Culture cer­ti­fi­ca­tion as a Contemporary Art Centre of National Importance, and is sup­ported by the Île-de-France Region.

Bétonsalon is wheelchair acces­sible. When pos­sible we trans­late our pro­grammes into sev­eral lan­guages, including sign lan­guage.