500 artists. 28 countries. 5 floors. An abandoned office tower at La Défense. Most tourists in Paris never heard about this.

The Concept

Zoo Art Show takes empty or abandoned buildings and transforms them into temporary street art cities. The Paris edition took over a vacant corporate office tower in La Défense — Paris’s business district — and gave 500 artists eight weeks to cover every surface of five floors.

The contrast between the sterile corporate architecture and the raw, explosive art covering every wall was one of the most powerful things I have ever seen in this city.

What Was Inside

Every floor had its own character. The Vandal Squad room on the first floor was pure old-school graffiti — blazes, tags, throw-ups filling every surface from floor to ceiling. The fourth floor was a maze. Literally — walls had been constructed to disorient you, and artists had painted every surface of the labyrinth.

The piece that stopped me completely was King Kong holding the Eiffel Tower, painted in magenta and turquoise across an entire room. I stood in front of it for ten minutes.

The Artists

Joe Bear and Jean Rubel were among the standouts — both pushing the boundaries of what street art can be as a medium. Some pieces were traditional spray paint on walls. Others were sculptural installations that extended off the surface into the space itself.

Why You Missed It

Because it was not advertised in English. Because it was in La Défense, which tourists rarely visit. Because it ran for a limited time in an unmarked building.

This is what I do: find the things that are not on the map and document them before they disappear.