Behind the glass facades of La Défense, another city made of repurposed walls appears. Far from the business district and suits and ties, a different atmosphere animates the forecourt. Born on the streets, street art speaks to everyone because it is aimed at everyone. Without tickets or museums, graffiti art has transformed walls into mirrors of our societies.
From Banksy to JR, street art has established figures capable of speaking to the whole world. Heir to New York graffiti and the raw energy of Jean-Michel Basquiat, it combines art, social engagement and urban identity. It is this popular and contemporary force that inspires La Défense today, inviting nearly 500 artists to take over the public space. By transforming a business district into an open-air gallery, La Défense shows how street art brings people together, surprises and renews our relationship with the city.
Open-air street art
Located in the heart of La Défense, the Zoo Art Show transforms a former office building into a temporary urban museum. Over several floors, visitors discover a dense, deliberately abundant journey, where the works follow one another without any strict hierarchy, just like on the street.
The concept offers total immersion through a journey combining monumental frescoes, photographs, light works and creations made on site. This immersion is aimed at a wide audience, accustomed to powerful images and large formats. It is a direct and accessible way to experience art in an urban space.
Banksy, the invisible icon at the heart of the Zoo Art Show
It is impossible to talk about the Zoo Art Show without mentioning the presence of works by Banksy, the legendary figure of global street art. An anonymous artist, Banksy has become over the years a universal symbol of socially engaged urban art, capable of combining irony, poetry and social criticism in a single image.
At the Zoo Art Show, his works remind us why his work continues to fascinate. Immediately recognisable stencils, powerful political messages and subtle black humour. Banksy embodies street art's rare ability to reach a very wide audience, far beyond the inner circles of contemporary art.
Presented in an immersive setting, his works blend into the raw space of the building alongside the creations of other artists. A message that reminds us how street art is above all an art of thought, designed to be seen, understood and felt instantly.
JR, the gaze as an artistic manifesto
Another key figure featured at the Zoo Art Show is JR. Through his monumental photographs, JR has profoundly renewed the aesthetics of street art. His work, which focuses on the gaze and the portrait, transforms anonymous faces into works of art, often imbued with social and human meaning.
With enlarged gazes printed on a large scale, his works dominate the space and directly engage the visitor. Unlike traditional mural painting, JR uses photography as a universal language.
An artistic programme worthy of icons
Alongside Banksy and JR, the Zoo Art Show has put together an ambitious programme, bringing together more than 500 international and French artists. From graffiti pioneers to the most prominent contemporary creators, all contribute to a comprehensive overview of current urban art.
The works follow on seamlessly from one another, with colourful murals and light installations. Some creations are produced live during live painting sessions, reinforcing the idea of art that is never static. Visitors traverse styles and eras and can explore the promise of contemporary art: to awaken the mind.
La Défense, the ideal setting for street art that has gone global
The choice of La Défense as the venue for an event of this magnitude is no coincidence.
The contrast between the monumental architecture of the business district and the raw energy of street art creates an immediate visual shock. The works of Banksy, JR and other artists take on a special resonance in this environment of glass and concrete. At the crossroads of Puteaux, Nanterre, Courbevoie and Neuilly, it is the most eclectic melting pot in the Paris region.
Practical information
Address: Zoo Art Show, La Défense district, at the foot of the Grande Arche.
Dates: exhibition open until 28 June 2026, Wednesday to Sunday.
Access: metro, RER, tram – La Défense – Grande Arche station.
Translated by Bethszabee Garner
