Art squat
An art squat is a name used to describe the action of artists to occupy 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 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.
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.
