Produit Rien is part gallery, part neighbourhood experiment—a 575-square-foot artist-run space carved out of a former tofu factory on rue Marconi in Mile-Ex. Launched in 2020 by artists Paul Litherland and Karen Trask, the space takes its name from the ghost signage of “Produit Oriental,” the building’s previous tenant. What was once a site for soy production is now home to monthly exhibitions, experimental workshops, and community-led events. Produit Rien operates without public funding, a fact that shapes its low-key, high-impact programming, and lends the space a certain scrappy charm.
With an open call model and a flexible approach to curation, it has become a hub for emerging and established artists from the neighbourhood and beyond—hosting projects that range from seven-year-olds’ drawings to works by names like Dominique Pétrin and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. It’s not commercial, and it’s not trying to be. It’s a space that runs on sweat equity, curiosity, and the quiet ambition to bring artists (and neighbours) closer together.
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