Paris Beyond the Monuments
When people think of Paris, they immediately picture the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, or the Champs-Élysées. But this vast city has other, less touristy sides that tell a different story. One of them is the 13th arrondissement – an area located southeast of the Seine that has, in recent years, become an international hub for street art.
For many years, the 13th was “off the classic tourist route.” Yet precisely there, among quiet residential streets, tall apartment buildings, and a local rather than touristic atmosphere, one of the most dynamic and interesting street art scenes in Europe was born.
What Makes the District Unique?
The 13th arrondissement is known for its residential towers. Many of them were built in the 1970s and 1980s as part of an urban development plan. Over time, these vast concrete surfaces became the perfect canvas for artists. Thanks to an exceptional collaboration between the Paris municipality, local galleries, and artists from around the world, entire walls were handed over for artistic creation.
The result is a district that today serves as an open-air street art museum – free, public, and accessible to everyone.
What Awaits in the 13th Arrondissement
Unlike the underground graffiti of old Paris, the street art in the 13th happens here in daylight and with full approval from the city. These are large-scale projects, some reaching heights of 30 to 40 meters, transforming the neighborhood’s facades into an open museum under the sky.
Along streets such as Boulevard Vincent Auriol, Rue Jeanne d’Arc, and Boulevard Auguste-Blanqui, you will find monumental works by leading artists: Shepard Fairey (Obey) with his strong political messages, Seth Globepainter with imaginative, childlike figures, C215 (Christian Guémy) with his intimate stencil portraits, and other international artists such as D*Face.
Each wall is a visual statement, and walking among them feels like a journey through a modern museum without a roof – and without an entry ticket.
The 13th arrondissement tells a fascinating story of fusion between the local and the global. The art here is not just decoration but part of the district’s identity – residents take pride in the works and see them as expressions of openness and innovation.
Alongside French artists, creators from Chile, Japan, England, and Argentina have left their mark, each adding a cultural layer to this complex urban landscape.
Beyond the art, this is also a lively and diverse district, home to one of Europe’s largest Asian communities – full of markets, restaurants, and shops that bring the Far East to Paris. Between murals, you can stop for a Vietnamese pho or Japanese sushi. << Click here for the full post.
The building at 19 Rue des Frigos, 75013 Paris was constructed in the 1920s and served for decades as an industrial cold-storage facility for the French railway company. After it was closed, the thick walls and impressive structure stood abandoned until, over time, they became fertile ground for underground creativity.
In the 1980s, groups of young artists looking for free spaces to create “occupied” the site and turned the old factory into an independent, alternative art center. Gradually, a diverse creative community of painters, sculptors, musicians, and street artists was formed, giving the building a new identity – one of freedom, self-expression, and cultural independence.
Today, Les Frigos houses dozens of active studios and workshops, and its facades are covered in ever-changing layers of graffiti and murals. The site is open to the public only on open days and special events, allowing visitors to experience the art at its best.
Les Frigos is not a museum – it is a living organism of creation, freedom, and community.
The 13th arrondissement has succeeded in creating a unique model where local and international artists collaborate. The residents themselves take great pride in the artworks, viewing them as an added value that enhances both the quality of life and the image of the neighborhood. This is a space where street art is not seen as vandalism but as an integral part of the city’s official landscape.
The meeting between the local and the global is clearly felt: alongside well-known French artists, street creators from Chile, Argentina, England, and Japan come here. Each brings their own visual language, yet all engage in dialogue with the same vast urban space. << Click here for the full post.
A short walk from Spot 13, you will find Lavo//Matik, a gallery and street art bookstore that has become one of Paris’s most important centers for contemporary urban culture.
Located at 20 Boulevard du Général Jean Simon, 75013 Paris, it serves as a living bridge between the street and the gallery, between the artist and the audience, and between the artwork and the ideas behind it.
The gallery opened in 2014, initiated by a group of independent artists and curators, with the goal of creating an open, non-institutional home for street art. In addition to permanent and temporary exhibitions, Lavo//Matik hosts events, lectures, and book launches – all centered on public art, freedom of expression, and visual culture.
At the heart of Lavo//Matik, you will find original prints, rare art books, and works by leading artists. The place attracts artists, researchers, and graffiti enthusiasts from around the world and is considered a key meeting point for anyone seeking to understand the Parisian street art language.
If Spot 13 is the body, Lavo//Matik is the soul – the place where street art turns into a cultural conversation.
Within the 13th arrondissement lies the small, charming village of Butte-aux-Cailles. Here, art does not reach the scale of skyscrapers but appears on smaller walls, doors, and windows.
A walk through the streets of Butte-aux-Cailles feels like visiting a small town – local cafés, narrow streets full of artistic surprises, and a more intimate atmosphere than that of the main boulevards. << Click here for the full post.
Among the artists whose works appear in the series of posts on street art and graffiti in Paris: SETH (Julien Malland), C215 (Christian Guémy), Vhils (Alexandre Farto), KASHINK (Maëva Martinez), Vale_Stencil (Valérian Lenud), The Pop Suréalist, The End of Animals (THE END), L’Empreinte Jo V (La Dactylo), IPDO (I Pixel di Oplontis), Mathieu 1976 (Mathieu Dussaucy), DJERADI LUDOVIC (Ludovic Djeradi), JR, Invader, Miss.Tic, Jef Aérosol, Blek Le Rat, Speedy Graphito, Hopare, Astro, Ardif, Ludo, Levalet (Charles Leval), Jo Di Bona, Monsieur Chat (Thoma Vuille), Zevs, Combo CK (Combo Culture Kidnapper), Alëxone Dizac, Tilt, Lek & Sowat, L’Atlas, Romain Froquet, Philippe Baudelocque, Jérôme Mesnager, Vinie Graffiti, Kalouf, Maye, A-MO, Clet Abraham, OakOak, Ender, Mosko et Associés, Codex Urbanus, Ella & Pitr, Dourone, Shaka (Marchal Mithouard), Raphael Federici, Pboy, Sismikazot, Kurar, Gregos, Tarek, Jace, Nasty, Doudou Style, FKDL, RNST, Zepha, Jerk 45, Onemizer, Bault, Polar Bear, Céz Art, Guy Denning, SP38, Zeer, Dume, Tanc, Kaldea, Antistatik, Reso, Woizo, MadC, Jober, Abys, Guaté Mao, Psyckoze, MonkeyBird Crew, Mantra, Aude Villerouge, Loraine Motti, Jean Faucheur, Jibé, Bom.K, Gris1, Aéro, JBC, Le MoDuLe De ZeeR, D*Face, Shepard Fairey, Banksy, 2Shy, Aroe, Babs, Bates, Brusk, Can2, Case Maclaim, Chanoir, Create, Darco, Dize, Gyz, Insane 51, Jaba, Jonone, Katre, Marko 93, Noé2One Mizer, Pro176, Remio, Schuck2, Snake, T-Kid, Tony Noel, Vision, Zenoy
Street Art in Le Marais Paris
Street Art Along Canal de l’Ourcq
LUDOVIC – Urban Chaos
Mathieu 1976 – Angels in Paris
IPDO – The Smurfs on the Wall
The Women of L’Empreinte Jo V
The Pop Suréalist
KASHINK – Paris’ Female Voice
Spot 13 – Paris
La Promenade Plantée – Paris
Street Art Avenue Paris
Street Art in Montmartre
The Giant Mural Project in Paris
THE END OF ANIMALS
The Belleville Character
VHILS – Carved in Stone
59 Rivoli – Alternative Art in Paris
The Children of SETH
Vale_Stencil – Colorful Stencil Art
