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 and continued to operate as a studio space and gallery until 2012, when the authorities closed it for redevelopment.

Paris, France, has experienced several decades of art squats, a result of high rents and a large Bohemian artist population. Early examples include the Bateau-Lavoir (destroyed during the 1970s) and Hôpital Éphémère, occupied during the 1980s and 90s. 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 on rue de Rivoli which was renovated and reopened in 2009.

In the 1990s a group of painters and sculptors gathered in an abandoned building in the Fairfax District, Los Angeles, United States.

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