Street art, a discipline directly created in the public space, is experiencing unprecedented success in the capital, but for now, it’s impossible to find a place entirely dedicated to urban art. Yes, for now, because the Seine-Saint-Denis department will welcome a large museum dedicated to street art and hip-hop culture by 2028. Its name? "L'Aérosol Saint-Denis".
The existence of such a museum became possible thanks to the call for projects by SNCF Immobilier - in partnership with the City of Saint-Denis and Plaine Commune - in 2021. Recently, Eiffage Aménagement and Equans France have been selected as the winners of the renovation project. Their mission: to build a new eco-friendly and sustainable neighborhood, as well as a brand new museum, the Aérosol Saint-Denis, all on a 6-hectare former railway site.
© Equans/ Eiffage Immobilier
Street art in a former abandoned warehouse
The future museum will nestle right in the heart of an old SNCF train maintenance site, also known as the “Cathedrals of the rail.” Abandoned since 1990, this impressive hangar features huge rail halls covering a total area of 8,400 m² - with the tallest reaching up to 19 meters high.
r - listed in the supplementary inventory of Historical Monuments since 2004. They will be rehabilitated starting in 2026, the year when the work is expected to begin.« The industrial heritage of the SNCF will thus be highlighted through innovative proposals that promote social, cultural, and environmental development and will contribute to the dynamism of a territory to which we are sustainably attached », expressed joyfully in 2023 Jean-Pierre Farandou, CEO of the SNCF group, to Actu.Paris.
© Equans/Eiffage Immobilier
Saint-Denis, European Capital of Culture ?
The museum will offer exhibitions, events dedicated to the general public, and can be privately booked. “The City of Saint-Denis and the Plaine Commune area will continue to embody hip-hop culture and be the center of gravity for urban cultures in harmony with the Street Art avenue, the project to repurpose the skating rink in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, just like so many.others », highlights Mathieu Hanotin, the mayor of Saint-Denis, in a press release. It's enough to shine brightly and look quite serious in the bid of Saint-Denis for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028.
The programming of this new cultural venue will be managed by the collective of independent street artists Maquis-Art and the association Hip Hop Citoyens, who were already behind the pop-up spot "L’Aérosol" opened in 2017 in the 18th arrondissement.
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