By Mélina Le Corre
Published on
27 Apr 24 at 8:52
It’s finally open! This colorful house has raised many questions from Toulouse residents, “what is hidden in this house?” “. It is no longer a secret, “Chez Babayaga” is a cultural place located at 114 rue de Cugnaux, where 42 artists put their paw there. Little visit.
A house doomed to destruction
In this House of 300m², doomed to destruction at the start of the 2024 school year, many Toulouse, but also international, artists have invested in its 17 rooms and 600 m² of garden. Over the three weeks before the opening of the ephemeral exhibition, the artists worked night and day to enhance the house.
“It took me a week to do the entire room,” describes Tom, one of the participants. Graffiti, painting, mapping… All styles mix in a fantastic theme. The house, abandoned for several months, will be replaced by a building of 34 accommodations and a nursery in the 4th quarter of 2026.
VIDEO: visit to the “Babayaga” house in Toulouse
A garden transformed into a tavern
Visitors must go through the back of the house to reach the entrance to this temporary exhibition. A refreshment bar, pallets as seats and some works of art welcome Toulouse residents to the garden.
Here, certain artists have taken possession of the green corner. In particular, Kévin who recovered barriers thrown into nature, even in the Garonne. He made some a real playground.
“I wanted us to reappropriate all these coercive design objects and thwart them! Something was missing in this garden, I find it legitimate to have installed a playground here, he smiles. And returning these elements to the collective seemed interesting to me.”
Very different pieces
Inside the house, visitors enter a world of fantasy. “We chose the Babayaga theme for its ambiguous character. In the tales, she is both a godmother, the good fairy, and a witch,” says Quentin Lhommeau, main coordinator of Salade Suprême.
At the entrance, the artists’ boutique is located in one of the rooms of the house. But Toulouse residents are also discovering the first works on the walls. “This is where the workshops will take place, with a mediation space, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday. Saturday will be more dedicated to events,” describes the coordinator.
Animals, garish colors, tapestry of yesteryear, everything mixes to give the image of a timeless house to quirky furniture from Emmaus.
On two floors, visitors will be able to walk the corridors of this old building. “It was a very healthy house, in terms of security, we marked out the places that could not be accessed.” Only one room, under the attic, cannot be entered.
But despite everything, every corner was invested, from floor to ceiling: the corridors, the cramped passages, the bathrooms and even the inside of the walls. In a few days, the place will host entertainment : barber, tattoo parlor and of course, workshops. “Everything is evolving, we still have room for other works! They are mainly Toulouse artists from the emerging scene, but we also have internationals, such as an Indian artist, and even Fine Arts students,” adds Quentin Lhommeau.
Making culture accessible
“We want to make culture accessible. We would like to travel to all the districts of Toulouse,” smiles the project coordinator for Salade Suprême. In partnership with the Sozinho association and the Nouveaux Constructeurs, the collective also approached Mister Freeze for this adventure.
“Everything happened very quickly. We got the keys on January 8, to return them at the end of July, beginning of August. It was exhausting, but we are happy,” says the project coordinator. A first partnership with the promoter “New Constructors”.
” It is the first time we do this, it is still a risk for us. Normally, promoters are rather discreet! But we had an opportunity to have a real place to live and exchange, it’s a successful bet,” enthuses Sevan Dutertre, director of “New Constructors”.
New projects under discussion?
“The house will not stay, whatever happens, it’s an enchanted parenthesis,” recalled the director, despite the enthusiasm of the neighbors and more generally, the people of Toulouse.
“But we got great feedback, it all grew a lot. Everything was very fluid, there was trust between us and the promoter, far from prejudices,” smiles Donatien Ravinet, founder of the Sozinho association. “People are looking for a place of culture in their neighborhood,” adds Elsa Fort, co-director of the Toulouse association.
Everything was self-financed by associations. “The project already existed before the house, it is a request from many artists to have places like these. With the association, our objective is to recover places for projects, this creates employment, the economy and links,” says Elsa Fort.
“We are thinking of renewing the idea,” say the two managers of the association. Some projects are already under discussion. Who knows if a new colorful house will soon see the light of day in Toulouse?
Practical information
Chez Babayaga, 114, rue de Cugnaux in Toulouse.
Opening to the public this Friday, April 26, at 5 p.m.
Opening hours: Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Open to the general public. Free entry price.
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