Paraguay x Cité

Paraguay has been fortunate enough to have a space at the Cité internationale des arts since 2023, alongside other organisations such as the magazine May. The history of the Paraguay publishing house is, above all, a story of artistic community: it is a space for conversations and encounters, a place for actively engaging with the art world. In this respect, being based at the heart of the Cité internationale des arts is the perfect setting for an organisation like ours, which is outward-looking.

Every two or three months, we organise activities for residents in collaboration with the Cité. These may take the form of training workshops or discussion groups, but also include visits to professionals in the publishing industry in Paris, with the aim of familiarising residents with the Parisian publishing scene: we introduce them to publishers, graphic designers, printing workshops and booksellers, all in a spirit of independence and self-organisation.

We are, of course, approached by many artists-in-residence and visit their studios as often as we can, whilst also regularly attending open studios. We sometimes invite certain artists to create a specific event or installation for the publishing house’s premises, and more specifically for its shop window – a space we have named ‘Elsewhere’.

Elsewhere, because in our hectic, fast-paced daily lives, this space represents for us a place ‘elsewhere’, a space of freedom. But also, to be honest, because we don’t occupy it every day; we are sometimes busy ‘elsewhere’ too.

‘Elsewhere’, like Paraguay, is the tangible utopia of a space guided by friendship, trust and solidarity within a group of art practitioners since 2009. Our proximity to the Cité is a source of inspiration in terms of conviviality and coexistence.