Mahsan: What’s your background, and when did you discover your passion for art?

Yvannoé: My passion for art began with a deep admiration for artists as individuals. In 2005, I traveled to the UK for a month to study English, and quite serendipitously, I landed a job as a designer despite not having a diploma in that field. This was my first real experience in the world of design and art. My involvement with art deepened through interactions with artists and various student jobs. London, during that period, was an incredible place for art, and my true encounter with it came while studying at Central Saint Martins and LCC. I attended student shows, visited museums, and occasionally explored galleries and white cube spaces.

However, the real turning point was when I started working at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Before that, I was somewhat skeptical of what I had studied and seen at the University of the Arts London, which includes colleges like Central Saint Martins and London College of Communication. Working in the art world is entirely different from studying it or merely visiting museums.

Mahsan: How did your career in the art world begin?

Yvannoé: My real entry into the art world was when I joined the team at the Palais de Tokyo, under the leadership of Jean de Loisy. I was deeply impressed by the passion and courage of the artists and was determined to meet their expectations. I dedicated all my energy to training myself so I could assist them better, which led to many friendships with artists. After five years with the programming and production team at Palais de Tokyo, my journey took a new direction, and I started exploring different fields.

I co-directed a space called Le Mur Saint-Bon, founded by Xavier Douroux and Natacha Carron, which was the Paris branch of Le Consortium in Dijon, one of Europe’s most important private museums. During this time, I had the opportunity to work with artists like Kelley Walker, Wade Guyton, and Sarah Morris, and it was also when I first met Hervé Digne, who, along with Laure Colliex, was founding Manifesto. They offered me a position as a consultant, and Manifesto focused on providing consultancy and management services for artistic and cultural projects. We worked closely with cultural institutions, museums, local councils, companies, and artists.

This was just the beginning of the journey. Through one of our clients, we were asked to create something new in the historic Christofle factory, a building from the 1870s listed as architectural heritage. We named the place “l’Orfèvrerie” and invited over a hundred artists to join the project. I brought in artists I had met at Palais de Tokyo, such as Jean-Marie Appriou, Laëtitia Badaut Haussmann, Neil Beloufa, and David Douard, who were among the most renowned French artists at the time. For the first time, I had the chance to embark on my own adventure with artists on a larger scale.

Mahsan: What inspired you to start POUSH? Where did the idea originate?

Yvannoé: After l’Orfèvrerie, which lasted 18 months, the idea for a similar project began to take shape in our minds. This time, we wanted more freedom to create something of our own. Another building owner approached us, asking if we could envision something like l’Orfèvrerie. Initially, I was hesitant because the new building was a huge tower, offering far less production space compared to an old factory, and it came with many specific regulations due to its height. Nevertheless, we launched our first call for residency, naming the project POUSH, as it was located at Porte Pouchet, an area of Paris that was only known for its car pound and the cemetery across from our building. This time, we had much more freedom and we began regularly programming exhibitions, inviting curators or other associations.

Since this project was starting to be an entity as itself, we decided to create a non-profit association, which was more suited to this kind of structure. This approach simplified management and allowed us to become part of a neighborhood association. From that moment, POUSH became its own entity, with a board composed of notable figures, including the president of Palais de Tokyo, the director of Lafayette Anticipations, the director of the artistic project Emerige, and the director of the Institut Français. Having such esteemed individuals dedicated to the project was a great honor for the artists. The adventure became more independent, with the support of Manifesto’s founders, Hervé Digne and Laure Confavreux-Colliex, who voluntarily helped us negotiate with the owner of our future building. Despite moving to a new location, we retained the name POUSH.

Mahsan: Was there a specific reason for choosing the locations in Clichy and later Aubervilliers?

Yvannoé: We didn’t exactly choose the locations; it was more like the locations chose us. In Clichy, the building owner wanted to give the structure a new lease on life. After that project, we actively searched for a new location because we couldn’t abandon the 250 artists who depended on us. In 2022, two other places were about to close, making it extremely difficult for artists to find new studios in Paris—or rather, Greater Paris. Relocating so many artists would have been an immense challenge, creating a lot of pressure for everyone involved. Thankfully, we found a new space in Aubervilliers thanks to architect and friend, Jean-Marc Lalo, who suggested the location while working on another project. The building was very different, much larger, with spaces that were harder to use. It lacked electricity, and we had to demolish nearly a kilometer of walls that had been installed to house data centers. Afterward, we rebuilt at least three times as many walls to prepare the spaces. Fortunately, I had friends in demolition and masonry, and they helped us get the buildings ready as quickly and affordably as possible so the artists could move in without too much disruption to their work.