In Toulouse, an exhibition on rue Bayard puts street art in the spotlight
Transforming one of the main arteries of the pink city into a street-art gallery, this is what the Amitié Bayard association has done with its exhibition “Rue Bayard”. From October 17 until November 30, 2021, 23 businesses on rue Bayard bring together the game by exhibiting in their windows 23 works by local artists.
This project took seven years to see the light of day, “for lack of skills in the cultural environment and an overload of work”, explains Pierre Coustures, president of the association, to The Independent Opinion. “We started with artists’ exhibitions in hotel rooms in the street or in shop windows on vacation. But the objective was to exhibit the works in shop windows”, adds T -he. It was his meeting with Hervé Marty, Toulouse-Métropole culture ambassador, that made the project wonder.
Revitalize Bayard Street
If rue Bayard was chosen to honor street art and graffiti, it is no coincidence. For Pierre Coustures, “Toulouse is considered, rightly or wrongly, as one of the first cities of street art in France. And rue Bayard is strategic, it is one of the gateways to Toulouse “. He adds that unlike Blagnac airport, where people pass without coming to Toulouse, people leaving the station, they come directly onto this completely renovated street.
“With this exhibition, we can make rue Bayard the showcase of street art in Toulouse”, adds the president. Objective therefore: bring attractiveness and make culture come to the public, and not the other way around. “Here, it is a very cosmopolitan district, and the social level is varied. So for all its inhabitants, it is necessary to bring them the culture which they would not seek themselves”, he admits.
Give visibility to artists
In addition to offering fame to a street long criticized, the association also wishes showcase graffiti artists and street-art artists. Hervé Marty, now in charge of the project, launched a proposal to 80 artists. More than twenty responded. Some are Toulouse artists, others are passing through the pink city for several years. Among them: four photographers, and street-art artists like Néro, Posh, Cali, or even Trome.
In order to offer them better visibility, the street was closed on the day of the launch of the exhibition “to make an art market for craftsmen and concerts”, explains the president. He adds: “The artists were able to set up stands and exhibit their works. It worked very well, they sold a lot that day”. He must now go further with this project. “The idea is that within 2 years, the street will be busy all the time, with four exhibitions for three months each “, explains the president. He hopes that the 60 businesses on the street will join the exhibition.
Useful information
Guided tours of the gallery are organized on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Registrations at [email protected] (5 euros per person)