The Urban Art Fair Paris 2025 opened its doors on April 24th at Le Carreau du Temple, marking the start of its ninth edition. This international event, dedicated to urban art, brings together over 100 artists and 40 galleries from around the world, including newcomers from Singapore, Japan, and the United States.
Paris’ Urban Art Fair offers a showcase of contemporary urban creativity, featuring solo exhibitions, collaborative projects, and immersive installations. Highlights include a special collaboration between renowned photographer Martha Cooper and stencil artist Logan Hicks, as well as an off-site installation by Arnaud Liard at Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées.
I attended the vernissage—the exclusive preview reserved for press and VIP guests—which offered an early glimpse into the eclectic mix of artworks on display. It was a chance to speak directly with artists, wander through thoughtfully curated exhibitions, and soak in the energy that sets Urban Art Fair apart.
What is Urban Art Fair Paris?
Urban Art Fair Paris is the first international fair dedicated to urban art, created in 2016 by Yannick Boesso, president and founder. For six years, it has been held at Le Carreau du Temple, in the heart of Paris. The fair brings together around 35 French and international galleries, showcasing the works of nearly 200 artists. Collectors, professionals, and art enthusiasts gather annually in April to discover both emerging and established artists.
For its ninth edition in 2025, the fair features over 100 artists and 40 exhibitor galleries from countries including France, Italy, Benelux, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Singapore, Japan, and the USA.
The venue, Le Carreau du Temple, is a historic building located at 4 rue Eugène Spuller in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement. Once a covered market, it has been transformed into a cultural center hosting various artistic events. Its central location and architectural charm make it an ideal setting for the diverse displays of the Urban Art Fair.
Spotlight on Murmure: The Fair’s Visual Identity
The visual identity of Urban Art Fair Paris 2025 is shaped by the French street art duo Murmure, composed of Paul Ressencourt and Simon Roché. Since 2010, they have been creating poetic, surreal, and socially engaged artworks that blend drawing, painting, and sculpture, often incorporating charcoal, screen printing, and mixed media.
For this year’s fair, Murmure designed the official poster titled “Obey!“, which features a street cleaner wearing an “Obey” T-shirt.
This image serves as a sharp commentary on the commercialization of street art, highlighting the irony of a symbol of rebellion becoming a mainstream brand. The work invites viewers to reflect on the evolution of street art from subversion to commodity, a recurring theme in their practice. You can see the original painting behind the poster design at the Mazel Galerie booth during the fair.
Having known Murmure for years, I actually met up with Paul and Simon a couple of days ahead of the art fair and joined them on a paste-up mission through the streets of Paris.
It was great fun to catch up, share stories, and hit the walls together again. I’ll soon be publishing something more in-depth about their work and philosophy—stay tuned for that.
Noteworthy Exhibitors and Artworks
Urban Art Fair Paris 2025 features both group shows and standout solo exhibitions, with a strong international presence.
Among the notable solo shows, French artist Hopare presents a new sculpture at Galerie Bayart, blending drawing and marble to explore themes of strength and fragility.
American stencil artist Logan Hicks collaborates with photographer Martha Cooper at Pascaline Mazac‘s booth, combining Cooper’s iconic images with Hicks’ intricate stencil work to create multi-layered pieces. These pieces bridge generations of urban art practice, blending documentary and fine art with stunning precision.
Greek artist Insane 51, known for his 3D anaglyph murals, offers a mini-solo show at Thinkspace Projects, showcasing his signature style.
The fair also features a strong international contingent. Singapore’s The Block A Collective presents “CHIMERA: Hybrid Realities,” an exhibition exploring the intersections of heritage, modernity, and global influence through the works of ten Singaporean artists.
Miami’s Museum of Graffiti makes its European debut at the fair, presenting a historic exhibition featuring works by graffiti legends such as GIZ and T-KID 170 alongside more iconic works, highlighting the evolution of graffiti from its New York roots to a global movement.
These exhibitions underscore the fair’s commitment to showcasing both established and emerging voices in urban art, offering visitors a comprehensive view of the contemporary urban art landscape.
Personal Highlights from the Vernissage of Urban Art Fair 2025
Wandering through the maze of booths at Le Carreau du Temple, I found myself gravitating toward a few standout presentations that truly captured my attention. Le Grand Jeu was naturally one of my first stops. This bookshop dedicated to street cultures is run by my friend Christian Omodeo, and it’s also where I’ll be signing copies of my book on April 25th! (at the actual bookshop, not at the fair’s booth…see you there!)
Seeing his carefully curated selection of books and zines felt like a warm corner of the fair devoted entirely to street culture in its most tactile form.
I also loved stopping by Bonobolabo (and finally meeting Marco in real life!). The Italian gallery brought along some stunning drawings by BLU—a rare sight in this kind of setting—alongside artworks and skates by some of my longtime favorites like Eron, Millo, Zed1, and more.
Artistik Rezo—those behind both Fluctuart, the floating urban art center on the Seine, and France’s first urban art museum, now under renovation—had a strong presence too, with Alexone solo show.
Mazel Galerie was another must-visit—not only for Murmure’s original poster artwork, but also for works by Levalet and Add Fuel, who both play so cleverly with urban textures and visual puns.
It was great to reconnect with my friends at Kallenbach Gallery (Amsterdam), whose booth had a particularly sharp selection this year. I was especially drawn to the canvases by Cripta Djan—his 2018 solo show was actually the first time I ever visited the gallery (and you can read about it here).
I also made sure to stop by Underdogs from Lisbon—founded by none other than Vhils. Their booth featured works by Nuno Viegas, Aryz, MissVan, Spok Brillor (in the photo below), but also Kampus, Wasted Rita, and more artists I love. And with a solo show by Okuda San Miguel opening soon at their gallery, I’m already looking forward to checking it out when I’m in Lisbon next week!
Among my favorite booths was PDP Gallery from Paris, which dedicated its space to a solo show by Iñigo Sesma—one of my all-time favorite artists. His work draws from photographs of urban settings, weaving them into paintings that feel like fragments from a film. Each canvas tells a story, capturing fleeting moments of city life with a cinematic, almost melancholic precision.
It was also a pleasure to finally meet Greg from Urbaneez, an online gallery dedicated to contemporary urban art that I’ve been collaborating with as a copywriter for several years now. After so many emails and digital exchanges, sharing a few words face-to-face made the collaboration feel even more meaningful. Their booth featured works by Graffmatt and Zurik, and it was a real treat to meet both artists in person.
These personal highlights added an extra layer of meaning to my vernissage experience—familiar faces, shared passions, and the thrill of seeing so many projects I admire brought together under one roof.
Conversations and Screenings to Watch: Saturday, April 26th 2025
Urban Art Fair Paris 2025 also offers a program of conferences and screenings, providing visitors with deeper insights into the multifaceted world of urban art. These events bring together artists, curators, and cultural historians to discuss pressing themes and showcase groundbreaking projects.
The conference series kicks off with a session on the art market, featuring insights from Catawiki, a prominent online auction platform. This discussion delves into the evolving dynamics of urban art within the global market, highlighting trends and opportunities for collectors and artists alike.
Another notable conference focuses on the archives of the hip-hop movement, bringing together François Gautret and other experts to explore the production, media representation, and international experiences of hip-hop culture. This session examines the historical significance and contemporary relevance of hip-hop as a driving force in urban art.
The fair also presents a conference on urban art in Asia, featuring speakers such as Julien Sato from Japan and artists Mojoko and ZERO from Singapore. This panel discusses the unique developments and cultural contexts of urban art across Asian cities, offering a comparative perspective on global urban art practices.
In addition to the conferences, the fair hosts several compelling film screenings. One highlight is the screening of The Underbelly Project, a documentary by Logan Hicks that chronicles a clandestine art exhibition held in an abandoned New York subway station. The film provides an intimate look at the challenges and triumphs of creating unauthorized art in hidden urban spaces.
These conferences and screenings enrich the Urban Art Fair experience, offering attendees a comprehensive understanding of the cultural, historical, and market forces shaping urban art today.
Why Urban Art Fair Still Matters in 2025
Urban Art Fair continues to hold relevance in 2025 precisely because it embodies the evolution—and the contradictions—of urban art itself. Once dismissed as vandalism, urban art has moved from the fringes of legality to the walls of major galleries and institutions. The fair mirrors this journey, offering a platform that celebrates the genre’s rebellious spirit while embracing its acceptance into the mainstream art world.
Yet, the paradoxes remain. Many of the works on display challenge authority, capitalism, and conformity—often while hanging in booths that are now part of an international art market. Pieces like Murmure’s Obey! poster confront these contradictions head-on, asking whether street art still holds its power to provoke once it’s framed, sold, and collected.
Urban Art Fair doesn’t pretend to resolve these tensions. Instead, it gives them space. Through its curated exhibitions, off-site installations, panel discussions, and cross-cultural collaborations, the fair reflects and shapes the ongoing conversation around urban culture—its politics, aesthetics, and global reach. In doing so, it remains not just a showcase, but a critical forum for what urban art is—and what it might become.
The fair runs through Sunday, so there’s still time to explore it all!
