Launching as a critical examination of institutional practices and colonial legacies, Ici et Ailleurs weaves different contexts, practices and perspectives into a series of curated panels and performances hosted within the Palais de Tokyo. In collaboration with Beirut based feminist art collective Haven for Artists, the activation of the Ici et ailleurs gathers artists and cultural practioners from countries around the Mediterranean, engaging alternative structures and creative methodologies around art making within their respective locations.

This new programme at the Palais de Tokyo seeks to amplify other voices and contribute to a more collective, plural and global understanding of what art can be, and will take shape through different forms such as panels, performances, and both an in-print and digital presence. 

How do art institutions persevere and transform in the face of continuous crises and the heavy weight of a colonial past echoing into the present? How can artistic practices be archived, disseminated and circulated in contexts where cultural practices are under threat or prevented from taking place? The first chapter of the project takes the form of a series of discussions and exchanges bringing together cultural practitioners working in Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia around the theme “Art in Crisis.” Over two days, two panels will explore this theme through concrete examples and tools for addressing such challenges: art spaces and publishing. Co-programmed with Haven, an alternative platform for artists and activists based in Beirut, this weekend seeks to create a space for connection, set against a backdrop of urgency to strengthen global networks and rethink our own practices.

Conceived as a physical and digital library, Ici et Ailleurs will gradually bring together resources within a space dedicated to consultation and exchange, structured around a series of micro-publications focusing on different geographical contexts. Comprising interviews, essays and portfolios, these publications will explore different ways of “making art” in contexts that foster new forms of circulation and exchange of ideas. They will be produced in the Palais de Tokyo’s micro-publishing workshop, which has been operating within the institution since 2024.

This first weekend of programming around “Art in Crisis” emerged from conversations initiated with two geographical and cultural contexts at the heart of the Ici et ailleurs project: Beirut and Algiers. The discussions will be documented and subsequently published as part of the launch of the Ici et Ailleurs micro-publication series in 2027.

• The event takes place in Salle 37.
• Part of the discussion will be conducted in English and will not be translated into French.
• Upcoming roundtable programme and speakers