My First Encounter with Wall Graffiti in Paris

The 1980s were an era when global wall graffiti was rising. The emergence and expansion of subcultures moved from the margins into the core of the art establishment, quickly becoming a new fashion cultural movement of globalization, continuing to expand today into universal cultural values for new generations. I arrived in France in the second half of 1982, going directly to Tours, known as the city of rose gardens, to study French. On Sundays, I often took walks along the Loire River to pass the time, and during holidays, I frequently joined friends in groups to visit nearby castles, living a carefree student life. In the summer vacation of 1983, I traveled north to Paris, settling initially in the 15th arrondissement near the Arc de Triomphe. In my small attic space (only two tatami mats in size, with just one small skylight), I lived a lonely but free life as a student, excitedly immersing myself in Paris’s artistic atmosphere. I frequently visited museums, galleries, and exhibitions, enjoying rare moments of freedom. Three months later, I moved to the heart of Paris, adjacent to the BHV department store near the City Hall. Conveniently, I was close to my temple of modern art, the Centre Pompidou, which thrilled me. Here, I lived closer to heaven, on the eighth floor of an Haussmann-era bourgeois building (a servant's room) attic. It had nothing but four walls, a sagging spring mattress, cold concrete floors, no faucet inside, and a toilet in the hallway. Although it had a window facing a light well, I could not see the sky. Yet I lived freely as a Bohemian artist. Climbing the eight flights of stairs daily seemed quite joyful because I lived within the Pompidou and contemporary gallery district; this passion for art was a gift. Visiting museums and galleries became my entire life. Sometimes I spent whole days in my great temple, the Centre Pompidou Modern Art Museum, regularly attending gallery exhibitions. Working one day a week earned me two hundred francs—more than enough. Daily expenses were one hundred francs; the other half went toward recording Paris contemporary art exhibitions, a practice I continue today, fully dedicating myself to collecting and documenting Paris contemporary art data. The Pompidou became my domain; my life revolved around it. The Modern Art Museum became my kitchen (where I knew every detail); any changes in works were noticed by me. The nearby convenience store served my dietary needs, and every week I bathed in the public baths in the basement pool area behind the Pompidou Center. Seeing my artistic temple every day allowed me to sleep peacefully. Thus, I was fully aware of the 1983 South Gallery extension at the Centre Pompidou. During construction, unusual wall graffiti appeared on the hoardings at some point, featuring both free-form images and text graphics. This graffiti on the South Gallery extension walls was also the first graffiti I had seen in Paris. Naturally, graffiti art soon entered the art establishment. The following year, I personally witnessed the Paris Metro Line Dupleix station being occupied by a group of graffiti artists, including famous American graffiti artist Keith Haring. In 1985, the Paris Municipal Modern Art Museum held a grand exhibition titled "5 vs 5" featuring American and French wall graffiti. Quickly, graffiti art entered the system and the art market.