Stéphane Malka

BUNKER GALLERY . PARIS

photos: Stéphane Malka

An alternative art gallery in the lineage of the Salon des Refuses, this project inserts itself under the Barbes metro station using a shifted urban strategy.
An assemblage of powerfully simple rough precast concrete, the modules are attached to each other and secured to the beams of the viaduct. The alignment of different blocks creates spatial diversity while the unified whole protects the artwork and creates a strong interiority. Nevertheless, lateral openings introduce unexpected light from below as well as elevationally reframing views to the site.
Once the viewer is suctioned from the street, this off Bunker reveals itself as an exhibition space that is elongated and generous, offering a multiplicity of views from different levels.  The gallery responds to the challenge of addressing neglected spaces, generating a singular place , a spontaneous cultural space divergent from the restrained exhibition spaces of Paris.