A pioneering creative hub based in Seine-Saint-Denis, in Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil, Les Ateliers Médicis are at the forefront of the tensions and hopes sweeping the country. A year ago now, the Ateliers Médicis brought together Cynthia Fleury and eight other researchers, geographers, urban planners and figures from the cultural scene, with one idea in mind: to allow themselves the time to reflect together, not to simply endure the prevailing discourse but to take back the initiative to think together.
The result? Periods of intense discussion and debate, and this Manifesto for a new ethic in our relationships, already signed by some fifty artists and directors of cultural institutions, all committed to placing culture at the heart of the movement of mutual recognition and reconciliation that we need. Recognition of all artists, of all works, and through them of all citizens and all the imaginations that our world embodies.
With :
Ateliers Médicis
Ateliers Médicis is dedicated to bringing new and diverse artistic voices to the fore and supporting artists with unique and contemporary styles. It hosts artists from all disciplines in residency programmes and supports the creation of works conceived in connection with the local area. They facilitate or organise encounters between artists and local residents. Located in Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, they are currently housed in a temporary building. A large-scale facility with national ambitions is set to be built by 2027, reaffirming the place of artistic creation in the suburbs. Les Ateliers Médicis have been directed by Cathy Bouvard since September 2018.
Cynthia Fleury
A philosopher and psychoanalyst, Cynthia Fleury is a professor at the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Cnam) and heads the philosophy department at Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris. Her early philosophical work focused on the question of the imagination. Through her engagement with psychoanalysis, her research has evolved and now focuses primarily on ethical issues. She has also been the youngest member of the National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE) since 2013. Author of *Le Soin est un humanisme* (2019), *Ci-gît l'amer* (Gallimard, 2020), in which she explores the possibility of escaping resentment in modern societies, and *La Clinique de la dignité* (Seuil, 2023), she is one of the best-known advocates of ‘care’ in France. Since 2025, she has chaired the Scientific Advisory Board of the Ateliers Médicis.
AOC
AOC is an online daily newspaper of ideas founded in 2018 by journalists. It is an author-driven publication featuring articles written by researchers, writers, intellectuals, artists, journalists and others. Drawing on an encyclopaedic tradition, AOC is a general-interest intellectual media outlet. Since its launch, nearly 3,000 different authors and over 7,000 articles have been published. The daily is now read by 10,000 subscribers and over 190,000 people with a reader account. Since 2025, AOC has been a quarterly thematic magazine available at newsagents and bookshops. AOC is also a publishing house with over 25 titles in its catalogue.