Art squat

An art squat is a name used to describe the action of artists to occupy (or squat in) an abandoned building, thereby creating studio space to create art. Art squats often have a semi-legal or illegal status.

Tacheles, in Berlin, Germany, was one of many buildings occupied by artists in the years after World War II^[1] and continued to operate as a studio space and gallery until 2012, when the authorities closed it for redevelopment.^[2]

Paris, France, has experienced several decades of art squats, a result of high rents and a large Bohemian artist population.^[3] Early examples include the Bateau-Lavoir (destroyed during the 1970s) and Hôpital Éphémère, occupied during the 1980s and 90s.^[3] In the 2000s the Paris city hall began an initiative to redevelop and legalise the city's art squats, beginning with a 6-storey squat at 59 rue de Rivoli which was renovated and reopened in 2009.^[3]

Art Squat was also the name of an Artists Collective co-founded by Johnny Otto in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, which took over abandoned properties in the Fairfax District and converted them into Galleries. ^[4]

In 2021 Art Squat Magazine was founded as an online source for interviews and articles about Artists from all over the world, including Dave_Navarro, Plastic_Jesus_(artist), Billy_Morrison, WRDSMTH, Blek_le_Rat, RISK_(graffiti_artist), Svetlana Talabolina and many others. ^[5]