Ex Situ

The term “street art” often makes people think of graffiti on city thoroughfares. However, in recent years there has been considerable diversification in this art form. Established in harmony with the city, street art has taken its place within the urban landscape, becoming one with it, and is being increasingly recognised in artistic circles. Alongside the ‘tags' that appeared in United States in the 1970s, more realistic paintings, posters and in situ installations have also taken up residence in the street. “Ex situ”, a Centre Pompidou programme directed at 13/16-year-olds, pays tribute “off site” to these forms of urban expression, removed from their natural habitat.

The context – that of the interaction between a work and its environment – is at a premium. Artists implement their creative work as a whole, in dialogue with the city. The work is set up or completed in a very direct manner, often very quickly. Viewing by the public – in this case passers-by or residents – is guaranteed. Creative acts in public space are a race against time. Some of the best items of urban art are those that benefit from the rush of adrenaline due to the fear of being surprised or interrupted. Today, the leading lights of street art are gradually entering the history of contemporary art as a whole. The work is being accepted in an increasingly broad variety of venues: public squares, festivals, galleries, institutions and elsewhere. As time passes, people are tending to think of street art less as an act of vandalism and more as a recognised form of artistic creation.

Street art is changing and forcing us to call these changes into question. At Studio 13/16, the “Ex Situ” project sees itself as an experiment; an interrogation or investigation carried out by seven artists: Mark Jenkins, Jonone, Ludo, Ox, Rero, Vhils and Yseult. In no sense is this an attempt to recreate a city; rather, the aim is to preserve the link between a venue – Studio 13/16 – and its audience, in order to conduct an experiment in transference and expression. Some of the guest artists have come “off the street” in the past few years to concentrate on studio-based works, while others are continuing to explore the many facets of our urban environment. The event features five-day artistic residencies for each of the artists, with whom teenagers are invited to contribute to a collective performance. Its aim is to transform the venue in line with each contributor's preferred techniques: posters, paintings, sculptures, installations, collages and more. Echoing the city and linked to the Centre Pompidou's architecture, the artists will also be producing ephemeral works.

“Ex Situ” invites teenagers at Studio 13/16 to experience an unprecedented encounter with these creative artists, who generally “lost their street virginity” when they were that age. An immersion in artistic expression – on the move!