Manifesto

We are still here!

Drawing from the tradition of salons that promoted emerging artists, this second event is an opportunity to continue exploring the current art scene. The Salon des Refusés of 1863 saw the emergence of modernity. The exhibit was a crowded display at the Palace of Industry, the very site of the current Petit Palais; a show of ebullient creativity and political power that pushed against established norms.

We Are [still] Here is steeped in this legacy: that of a creativity capable of forging its own path. This exhibition is a vivid, powerful look into the current art scene, proving that art itself is always in motion. More than two hundred never-seen-before works by French as well as international artists are exhibited at the Petit Palais, the Museum of Fine Arts of the City of Paris, reaffirming Paris’s status as a central player in this worldwide movement.

Street Art has won over our territory, our history, our era. It claims space for itself, crossing cultural boundaries and renewing the great themes of art history. The artists, transgressing the limits of established art, overflowing with a free, bold creativeness, continue to explore and break new ground.

This is the portrait of an era: ours. The exhibited artists tap into today’s codes to engage in a subtle dialogue with the museum and its collections. The power of this movement is rooted in its ability to reclaim its environment with great pertinence. Through mixed media and diverse worlds, major themes that shaped art history emerge, and continue to challenge our contemporary reality.

This event has now become a fixture of the Petit Palais — and proof that Paris still does what she has always done best: shining a light on an art movement and supporting it all the way through.

Download the exhibit’s app to learn more about the artists and their artworks.