"It is nearly 6 pm here in Paris and I’m waiting for Sophie at Le Tambour, a quirky café in the 2nd arrondissement where you can get drinks and nibbles 24/7. Sophie and I used to study museology and contemporary art together, at the École du Louvre a few years ago. Tonight, she has agreed to give me some leads about the freshest art initiatives in Paris and its outskirts. 2012 has been a busy year for contemporary art in Paris. More than 900 events occured in more than 250 structures. Public has been extremely involved as well. According to the Centre Pompidou, about 3,800,000 visitors should have walked its collections and exhibitions in 2012. The Palais de Tokyo has reopened its doors last April and had already welcomed more than 235,000 visitors at the end of September. These numbers raise a question : an emerging scene must exist in this maelstrom of exhibitions but how does one find it ? In London, it is easy to get to know this scene through a tight network of magazines (Art Licks…), maps (South London Art Map…) and schools shows (Slade…). They tell you where and when to go, with a critical point-of-view. But in Paris, it can be tricky. Away from high-end neighborhoods, I invite you to a 72-hour trip through wintry Paris alleyways. Come and meet five game changers from the French art scene in its most contemporary developments."