Fotokino

What Fotokino does

Fotokino is a Marseille-based non-profit cultural association (association loi 1901) founded on April 4, 2000, that programs and produces contemporary visual arts for children, families, schools, artists, and the general public. The organization operates Studio Fotokino, a permanent exhibition and workshop space at 33 Allée Léon Gambetta in central Marseille opened in October 2011, alongside a portfolio of signature programs: the Bibliocyclette (a bicycle-mounted mobile children's library active April–October), L'Estampette (a mobile printmaking station built around two wheeled suitcases), the Tangible design festival (launched in 2024 as successor to the 20-edition Laterna magica festival that concluded December 2023), a residency program active since 2010 in partnership with La Marelle, an Éditions publishing line of artist books and prints, and a Médiations service delivering school and group workshops (250+ distinct workshops since 2004). Underlying technology is non-digital and craft-based — screen printing and Risograph printing — supported by a conventional digital stack (WordPress + WPML website, BigCartel e-commerce, HelloAsso memberships, AWS SES for email).

The organization's business model is a hybrid of French public-sector institutional funding and earned income. Public grants flow from at least seven distinct government bodies including DRAC PACA, Conseil Régional PACA, Conseil Départemental des Bouches-du-Rhône, Ville de Marseille, Métropole Aix-Marseille Provence, ANCT, and Centre National du Livre. Earned revenue streams include a €6 annual membership offering preferential workshop rates, transaction-based workshop and mediation fees (€10 per group for a 40-minute visit; €10 + €2 per child for the 1h20 mediation with creative workshop, free for REP+ schools), event admissions (€30/€35 for special dinners), and sales of publications, posters, engravings, silkscreens, and postcards via the in-studio bookstore, partner bookstores, and the BigCartel-hosted online store. The 2025 launch of the Ma'an Mediterranean partnership with The Mothership in Tangier, supported by Institut Français, marks the first formalized international programming footprint.

Name

Fotokino

Legal name

Association Fotokino

Website

https://fotokino.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fotokino is a Marseille-based non-profit cultural association (founded 2000) that operates a visual arts studio, residencies, festivals, mobile outreach programs, and a publishing line, serving children, families, schools, and artists across the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Cultural Programming

NAICS

Museums (71211), Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Photography & Videography (EDAAAGAF), Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC), Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Visual arts programming
• Cultural mediation
• Artist residencies
• Art education workshops
• Art publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Individual or family membership at €6 per year, offering preferential rates on workshops and welcome gifts.
2. Sales of publications and merchandise: Revenue from selling books, posters, engravings, silkscreens, and postcards published in collaboration with artists, available at the studio and online store.
3. Workshop and mediation fees: Fees charged for artistic workshops and mediation sessions, including group visits and creative workshops for schools and adults.
4. Event admissions and special activities: Revenue from special events such as Japanese dinners (€30/35 per person) and other cultural events.
5. Public funding and grants: Support from government bodies including Conseil Régional PACA, Conseil Départemental des Bouches-du-Rhône, DRAC PACA, Ville de Marseille, and other institutional partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fotokino is a non-profit cultural association that operates an exhibition and workshop Studio in Marseille and presents a year-round program of visual arts exhibitions, artist residencies, art education workshops, and mobile cultural outreach (Bibliocyclette, L'Estampette). It also produces and sells artist publications (books, posters, prints, silkscreens) and runs themed festivals (Laterna magica 2004-2023, Tangible from 2024) covering illustration, graphic arts, photography, and design.

Product overview

Fotokino is a Marseille-based non-profit cultural association (created April 4, 2000) dedicated to the diffusion of visual arts, operating at the intersection of graphic arts, photography, painting, illustration, cinema, and design. Its central product is the Studio Fotokino (opened 2011), a physical exhibition and workshop space in central Marseille. The organization complements this with several named programs: Hors les murs (off-site events and cinema), the Bibliocyclette (a mobile street library), L'Estampette (mobile print workshop), the Laterna magica festival (2004–2023, now succeeded by Tangible), its Publishing (Éditions) line of artists' books and posters, a Residency Program for artists and illustrators, and Mediation Services for schools and groups. These programs are distributed through the Studio, partner venues, public spaces, and an E-Shop on BigCartel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bibliocyclette: A mobile street library with children's books, offering outdoor reading sessions and creative workshops in Marseille's public spaces from April to October.
• L'Estampette
• Laterna magica
• Tangible
• Studio Fotokino

Products and services

• Studio Fotokino The primary physical exhibition and workshop space of Fotokino, located at 33 Allée Léon Gambetta, Marseille, hosting exhibitions, workshops, and lectures as an experimental platform for artists and a public space open to all ages.
• Hors les murs Off-site programming that extends Fotokino's activities beyond the studio into partner venues throughout Marseille and elsewhere, including cinema programs, workshops in public spaces, and exhibitions.
• Tangible Festival A design-focused festival coordinated by Fotokino in collaboration with partner structures of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, covering all forms of design expression (object, graphic, urban, textile, social, craft). The zero edition took place in October 2024, with a full launch scheduled for 2025.
• Bibliocyclette A mobile street library operated by bicycle, carrying approximately 100 children's books. From April to October it sets up in popular districts of Marseille — squares, playgrounds, and public gardens — to offer outdoor reading afternoons and creative workshops for children and families.
• L'Estampette A mobile printing unit developed in 2018 in collaboration with Nicole Crème's silkscreen printers, deployable in public spaces. It offers initiation workshops to printmaking techniques (screen printing, monotype, stencil, engraving, stamp) using two wheeled suitcases that convert into a small printing station.
• Laterna magica Festival A major visual arts event held annually in Marseille since 2004, featuring exhibitions, screenings, shows, lectures, and workshops across approximately 20 venues in Marseille and beyond. The festival concluded its 20th edition in December 2023 and has been succeeded by the Tangible festival.
• Éditions Fotokino (Publishing) Fotokino's publishing program produces books, catalogs, posters, engravings, silkscreens, and postcards in close collaboration with invited artists. Publications are considered artistic projects on paper, taking renewed forms from monographic catalogs to zines, and are sold at the studio, in bookstores, and via the online store.
• Résidences (Artist Residency Program) Artist residency program active since 2010, welcoming artists and illustrators to Marseille twice yearly — summer residencies at the Studio and longer 2-to-4-month residencies in autumn/winter in partnership with La Marelle, with support from DRAC PACA for children's book creation.
• Médiations (Mediation Services) Artistic education and mediation activities offered both at the Studio and off-site (schools, theaters, festivals, media libraries, museums). Services include 40-minute exhibition tours, 1-hour tours with creative workshops, and over 250 different workshops conducted since 2004 spanning book arts, printmaking, film, and theater.
• E-Shop / Boutique en ligne Online store selling Fotokino's publications (books, catalogs, posters, engravings), memberships, workshop reservations, and event tickets, hosted on the BigCartel platform.
• Ma'an, couleurs naturelles en Méditerranée Bilateral collaboration project with The Mothership in Tanger, Morocco, focused on research and residencies into natural dyes and plant-based pigments in contemporary art creation, supported by Institut Français IF Export.
• Annual Membership Annual individual or family membership at €6 per year, offering preferential rates on workshops and welcome gifts (2 posters or 1 Désordres catalog on renewal).

Quantifiable outcome

• 250+ workshops conducted since 2004
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Mothership (Tanger, Morocco)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Collaboration project 'Ma'an, couleurs naturelles en Méditerranée' from April 2025 to May 2026. The Mothership, founded by Yto Barrada, is a research and residency space in Tangier focused on natural dyes and plant-based pigments. Fotokino collaborates on artist residencies, research on natural paints, and cross-cultural exchange between France and Morocco.
• Institut FrançaiscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Support through IF Export device for the Ma'an collaboration project. Provides institutional backing and international visibility for the partnership with The Mothership.
• La MarellecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partnership with La Marelle for hosting author/illustrator residencies in Marseille and La Ciotat. Each autumn, an author/illustrator works on a children's book project while conducting mediation activities.
• Riso FrancesupportingTechnology or IntegrationPrivate programming partner providing Risograph technology support and collaboration for print projects.
• Olympic LocationsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivate partner for programming and location services supporting Fotokino's activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre photographique d'Île-de-France (CPIF): A regional photography center in the Paris region offering exhibitions, residencies, and educational mediation. Comparable to Fotokino as a publicly funded visual-arts center with education and residency components at a similar scale.
• Le Magasin – Centre d'art contemporain: A contemporary art center in Grenoble combining exhibitions, artist residencies, and educational programming. Comparable to Fotokino as a non-collection-based visual arts center with residencies and mediation services.
• Le BAL: A Paris-based cultural venue dedicated to image-making, photography, and visual arts through exhibitions and educational mediation. It mirrors Fotokino's combination of gallery programming and educational programming on visual/image-based arts.
• La Friche la Belle de Mai: A major cultural production facility in Marseille operating exhibitions, residencies, and community arts programming. It is the closest local peer to Fotokino, sharing both the Marseille base and the hybrid gallery/workshop/community model.
• Jeu de Paume: A Paris exhibition space focused on photography and contemporary image practices, with associated mediation and publishing activity. Comparable to Fotokino in its emphasis on visual/image-based arts, exhibitions, and educational outreach.
• Foam Amsterdam: An Amsterdam photography museum combining exhibitions, artist development, educational programming, and a publishing arm. Closely mirrors Fotokino's model of exhibitions plus educational mediation plus limited-edition publishing, though with a tighter photography focus.

Broad incumbents

• Centre Pompidou: France's flagship national museum and cultural complex with extensive visual arts programming, exhibitions, mediation, and a publishing program. Comparable in mission breadth but vastly larger in scale and resources than Fotokino.
• Palais de Tokyo: One of Europe's largest contemporary art centers in Paris, offering exhibitions, residencies, and educational programming. Comparable to Fotokino in core activity but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.

Others

• Institut Français: The French public agency that supports French cultural export and international cultural exchange, including via the IF Export program backing Fotokino's Ma'an partnership. Listed as OTHERS because it functions as a funder/partner rather than a competitor, but is the institutional counterpart for cross-border cultural diplomacy relevant to Fotokino.

Emerging players

• Le 19M: A recent Parisian cultural venue dedicated to craftsmanship and design métiers d'art, combining exhibitions, residencies, and educational programming. Comparable to the Tangible festival's design focus and Fotokino's hybrid exhibition/residency model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Fotokino.Marseille
• Instagraminstagram.com/fotokino
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fotokino

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fotokino