Artists in the Parisian fridge

A former SNCF refrigerated storage has been transformed into an artists’ workshop in the 13th district of Paris. Although quite unusual in such a contemporary landscape, “les frigos” earned the right to stay thanks to the creativeness of its original tenants.

It is hard to believe that “les frigos” belongs to the neighbourhood of Paris Rive gauche (Left Bank). From the Austerlitz train station to the Boulevard Masséna, this part of the 13th district has been completely renovated, so “les frigos”, an old dusty industrial building looks somewhat strange in this ultra modern area. Indeed, the city hall wants Paris rive Gauche to become the new showcase of the French capital. This giant fortress in concrete remains the last reminder of the former industrial activity of the area. Built in 1921, les frigos was a refrigerated warehouse for 40 years.

After it closed in the 1960s, some people squatted the building for a while until the SNCF rented it to a group of artists. When they arrived, it was still a huge fridge with no windows, no water and no electricity so they rebuilt the place and transformed it into workshops. In the 1990s, the artists were asked to move out, so they created a union to protest against the building’s demolition. They won the right to stay and saved the factory. Officially people are not allowed to visit the building except during the open days every spring. In reality, the door is wide open.

With huge efforts, lots of time and protests, artists have created a place in their image: crazy, messy, mesmerizing.