The famous cultural center of Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis) reopened this Thursday, September 10. All with a most symbolic exhibition: Sealed fate, in reference to the expulsion of the Mains d’Oeuvres association by the police, in October 2019.
Good news for the culture: Hands of works, a cultural place located in Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis), was finally able to reopen its doors on Thursday, September 10. A reopening which was accompanied by the launch of a more than symbolic exhibition: Sealed fate. The dozens of metal seals deposited by the police when the premises were closed served as a support for the works of 40 graffiti artists and plastic artists. As a reminder, in October 2019, the Mains d’Oeuvres association had been expelled by the police, at the request of the prefecture.
In The Parisian, the director of Mains d’Oeuvres, Juliette Bompoint, declared that this exhibition “Is symbolic for the cultural history of Seine-Saint-Denis”. She continues: “This story will be remembered for a long time and keeping a little bit of plaque is also a way of not forgetting, of always remembering how precious culture is.”
>> To read also: Closure of Mains d’Œuvres: “We are taking artists hostage!”
Mains d’Oeuvres out of danger?
Before his expulsion, the association had been in conflict for many years with William Delannoy, former UDI mayor of the city, who wanted to set up a classical music conservatory on the premises. In January 2020, the Bobigny judicial court had canceled this expulsion, enough to extend the lease of Mains d’Oeuvres for eighteen months. In addition, the new PS mayor of Saint-Ouen since May 2020, Karim Bouamrane, supports the team. Asked by Release during the open house on September 19, he developed several ideas such as the opening of a “Hip-hop museum, a place of debate and the life of urban cultures”. However, the future remains uncertain for the association. The losses incurred by the eviction, the work and the Coronavirus prevent it from projecting itself. “I can’t say how we can end the year”, admits Juliette Bompoint, still at Parisian.
>> To read also: Covid-19: DIY tests to save the music industry?
>> To read also: Reopening of La Flèche d’or, in Paris: between good intentions and uncertainties
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