Spray it to say it: graffiti group sees women make their mark in Paris
A vacant lot in southeastern Paris has become a hub for graffiti artists from France and the world thanks to an initiative by community group Spot 13. It prides itself on promoting female graffiti artists and is holding an event to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March.
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Graffiti artist MIU works on a wall at an open-air street art gallery run by the non-profit Spot 13. © RFI / Ollia Horton
By:Ollia Horton
RFI
08/03/2025
The outskirts of the French capital's 13th arrondissement have been undergoing a radical transformation in recent years, with new residential buildings popping up among office blocks and older architecture.
Where the southern Paris city limit meets the suburb of Ivry, three busy overpass bridges provide a vast web of concrete canvases for street artists hailing from Europe and further afield, as well as local talents.
"Even though we’re under the ring road, it feels like we’re in the countryside and we have a sense of freedom," says Spot 13 founder Joko – who is also a graffiti artist and a keen skateboarder.
While graffiti artists have been using the site since 2017, Joko set up his non-profit organisation in 2021 and got permission from the local council to "beautify" what would otherwise be a no-man’s land – part of a wider initiative by the co-operative Plateau Urbain, which repurposes unused urban spaces.
Spot 13 also prides itself on promoting female graffiti artists. "In general, there isn’t much room for women in urban art. There tends to be a lot of testosterone," Joko says, adding that he created Spot 13 in homage to his mother.
The outskirts of the French capital's 13th arrondissement have been undergoing a radical transformation in recent years, with new residential buildings popping up among office blocks and older architecture.
Where the southern Paris city limit meets the suburb of Ivry, three busy overpass bridges provide a vast web of concrete canvases for street artists hailing from Europe and further afield, as well as local talents.
"Even though we’re under the ring road, it feels like we’re in the countryside and we have a sense of freedom," says Spot 13 founder Joko – who is also a graffiti artist and a keen skateboarder.
While graffiti artists have been using the site since 2017, Joko set up his non-profit organisation in 2021 and got permission from the local council to "beautify" what would otherwise be a no-man’s land – part of a wider initiative by the co-operative Plateau Urbain, which repurposes unused urban spaces.
Spot 13 also prides itself on promoting female graffiti artists. "In general, there isn’t much room for women in urban art. There tends to be a lot of testosterone," Joko says, adding that he created Spot 13 in homage to his mother.
Joko, the founder and president of Spot 13, a non-profit organisation that hosts a graffiti art hub in the 13th district of Paris. © RFI / Ollia Horton
'Everyone is welcome'
Joko points to an artist known as MIU, who is working on a large wall in the bright sunlight – this is her first time working on such a large surface since she started doing graffiti just over two years ago.
She loves interacting with the people who come to ask questions and observe the artists at work. It’s a laidback, family-style atmosphere, she says. "While the question of gender still exists elsewhere, I don’t think it’s an issue at Spot 13. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of social background, identity or gender."
MIU’s latest work is a portrait of a child from the Toraja ethnic group in Sulawesi, Indonesia, wearing traditional colourful dress.
'Everyone is welcome'
Joko points to an artist known as MIU, who is working on a large wall in the bright sunlight – this is her first time working on such a large surface since she started doing graffiti just over two years ago.
She loves interacting with the people who come to ask questions and observe the artists at work. It’s a laidback, family-style atmosphere, she says. "While the question of gender still exists elsewhere, I don’t think it’s an issue at Spot 13. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of social background, identity or gender."
MIU’s latest work is a portrait of a child from the Toraja ethnic group in Sulawesi, Indonesia, wearing traditional colourful dress.
A work by graffiti artist MIU, inspired by the Toraja ethnic group from Sulawesi in Indonesia. © RFI / Ollia Horton
Describing herself as a modern art historian whose job it is to "preserve memory," she likes to use art as a means to represent minorities around the world whose cultures and way of life “we don’t know much about, and which are becoming extinct".
MIU is one of 15 female artists invited to take part in a live graffiti "jam session" on the theme of freedom, to celebrate International Women’s Day, on the weekend of 8-9 March.
Organised by Spot 13 and the collective Bombasphères, part of the profits from artists’ prints will be donated to the Maison des Femmes charity in Paris, whose work includes supporting women experiencing gender-based violence.
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Street art on a vacant lot hosted by community group Spot 13. © RFI / Ollia Horton
Building bridges
Jacques, a longtime volunteer with Spot 13, emphasises that giving back to the community is part of the project's DNA. More than just a place for people to legally practise street art, the space has a role to play in social cohesion, in an area that used to have a "pretty bad reputation," he says.
"We try to have good communication with our neighbours. It’s very important to be accepted, to be understood...it’s not just about painting," he explains, adding that making art provides a focus that can diffuse tensions between groups.
Describing herself as a modern art historian whose job it is to "preserve memory," she likes to use art as a means to represent minorities around the world whose cultures and way of life “we don’t know much about, and which are becoming extinct".
MIU is one of 15 female artists invited to take part in a live graffiti "jam session" on the theme of freedom, to celebrate International Women’s Day, on the weekend of 8-9 March.
Organised by Spot 13 and the collective Bombasphères, part of the profits from artists’ prints will be donated to the Maison des Femmes charity in Paris, whose work includes supporting women experiencing gender-based violence.
Poor funding and weak measures 'bury' gender equality in France warns Oxfam
Street art on a vacant lot hosted by community group Spot 13. © RFI / Ollia HortonBuilding bridges
Jacques, a longtime volunteer with Spot 13, emphasises that giving back to the community is part of the project's DNA. More than just a place for people to legally practise street art, the space has a role to play in social cohesion, in an area that used to have a "pretty bad reputation," he says.
"We try to have good communication with our neighbours. It’s very important to be accepted, to be understood...it’s not just about painting," he explains, adding that making art provides a focus that can diffuse tensions between groups.
This part of the 13th arrondissement of Paris has become a hub for graffiti artists from around the world. © RFI / Ollia Horton
Joko – whose personal tag includes the slogan "taking art towards infinity and beyond" – agrees that art can be a powerful way to promote mutual respect, as well as a valuable tool for maintaining mental health.
"Art is a good way to stay calm. When you’re making art, you’re calm, and it brings a sense of peace to viewers. It’s great to have a designated place where art and nature meet."
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He hopes to make the current initiative in this part of Paris a permanent one. "We’re trying to bring some life into the suburbs and public spaces. It really comes from the heart."
Joko – whose personal tag includes the slogan "taking art towards infinity and beyond" – agrees that art can be a powerful way to promote mutual respect, as well as a valuable tool for maintaining mental health.
"Art is a good way to stay calm. When you’re making art, you’re calm, and it brings a sense of peace to viewers. It’s great to have a designated place where art and nature meet."
Spotlight on Africa: celebrating female empowerment for Women's History Month
He hopes to make the current initiative in this part of Paris a permanent one. "We’re trying to bring some life into the suburbs and public spaces. It really comes from the heart."
Spot 13's initiative has created an open-air gallery under the city's ring road. © RFI / Ollia Horton
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