JR
~Social Commentary
JR started as a French graffiti artist at the age of 15. He wanted to make his name known so he wrote it all over Metro stations. On one of his excursions with his friends, he found a camera and began documenting their adventures. This soon turned into a love for photography and a need to make other people's stories known instead of just his own.
|
EXPLORE
FACE-2-FACE
In 2007, JR was following the unrest happening between Israel and Palestine. (In an extremely small nutshell, both groups feel they have historical precedent and the right to live in the same geographic location, yet ideologies and stubborn politics have made this an impossibility. Israel and Palestine are usually at war with one another, with occasional breaks of a tentative peace. Each side holds deep-seated bias and fear of the other.) JR took his camera and set out to prove that these two peoples, who have been fighting since the dawn of man, are really not that different, he called this project FACE-2-FACE.
JR decided to take photos of people who are employed in the same job in Israel and in Palestine. For example, he photographed an Israeli taxi driver and a Palestinian taxi driver. Then he put the two pictures next to one another throughout eight major cities in both Israel and Palestine. When people asked what he was doing and he explained to them, the citizens of either nation often had difficulty identifying their countryman or their enemy.
Nine years later, many of those photographs are still there even though the people could have easily torn the paper photos down or defaced them. This showed JR, and the world, that the possibility of peace between the two sides was much higher than previously thought.
In 2007, JR was following the unrest happening between Israel and Palestine. (In an extremely small nutshell, both groups feel they have historical precedent and the right to live in the same geographic location, yet ideologies and stubborn politics have made this an impossibility. Israel and Palestine are usually at war with one another, with occasional breaks of a tentative peace. Each side holds deep-seated bias and fear of the other.) JR took his camera and set out to prove that these two peoples, who have been fighting since the dawn of man, are really not that different, he called this project FACE-2-FACE.
JR decided to take photos of people who are employed in the same job in Israel and in Palestine. For example, he photographed an Israeli taxi driver and a Palestinian taxi driver. Then he put the two pictures next to one another throughout eight major cities in both Israel and Palestine. When people asked what he was doing and he explained to them, the citizens of either nation often had difficulty identifying their countryman or their enemy.
Nine years later, many of those photographs are still there even though the people could have easily torn the paper photos down or defaced them. This showed JR, and the world, that the possibility of peace between the two sides was much higher than previously thought.
Click HERE for a video and photos from the FACE-2-FACE project.
PORTRAIT OF A GENERATION
In 2004, JR found himself with a 28mm camera and a desire to capture the personality of people living in the ghettos of Paris. A 28mm camera requires the subject to be within approximately 10 inches of the lens. This meant that JR had to get to know his subjects and get them to trust him. It also allowed him to see inside of his subject's outward appearance and glimpse the stories inside; the stories they wanted to tell. JR visited the ghettos several times since then and continued to capture the stories of the people who live there. He named his collection of these photos and films, PORTRAIT OF A GENERATION.
It was through this project that JR saw how the people he photographed were able to tell their own story through their images that usually contrasted with way they were portrayed in the media. "This," he says, "is when I realized the power of paper and glue."
In 2004, JR found himself with a 28mm camera and a desire to capture the personality of people living in the ghettos of Paris. A 28mm camera requires the subject to be within approximately 10 inches of the lens. This meant that JR had to get to know his subjects and get them to trust him. It also allowed him to see inside of his subject's outward appearance and glimpse the stories inside; the stories they wanted to tell. JR visited the ghettos several times since then and continued to capture the stories of the people who live there. He named his collection of these photos and films, PORTRAIT OF A GENERATION.
It was through this project that JR saw how the people he photographed were able to tell their own story through their images that usually contrasted with way they were portrayed in the media. "This," he says, "is when I realized the power of paper and glue."
Click HERE to watch the original film from JR's first visit to the ghettos.
Click HERE to explore the rest of the PORTRAIT OF A GENERATION project.
Click HERE to explore the rest of the PORTRAIT OF A GENERATION project.
WRINKLES OF THE CITY
Los Angeles is quite a new city, the second largest in the United States. Following Cartagena and Shanghai, JR brought his Wrinkles of the City project to Los Angeles in 2011. Los Angeles is the place where the Hollywood myth was born, with its stars system, the glamour and the beauty being part of the identity of the city. For this project, JR wished to blend the wrinkles of old people living in LA and the marks of their past with the image of perfection or regenerated beauty in the 21st century.
Click HERE for a video and photos from the WRINKLES OF THE CITY project.
Los Angeles is quite a new city, the second largest in the United States. Following Cartagena and Shanghai, JR brought his Wrinkles of the City project to Los Angeles in 2011. Los Angeles is the place where the Hollywood myth was born, with its stars system, the glamour and the beauty being part of the identity of the city. For this project, JR wished to blend the wrinkles of old people living in LA and the marks of their past with the image of perfection or regenerated beauty in the 21st century.
Click HERE for a video and photos from the WRINKLES OF THE CITY project.
WOMEN ARE HEROES
One year after the Face-2-Face project, JR heard a story of three young men who lived in a village in Brazil that is controlled by the drug cartels. These young men did not have their ID cards on them and they were arrested and brutally killed. JR went to Brazil and met with women who were directly connected with these young men - mothers, grandmothers, etc. While speaking with and photographing these women, JR realized what a pivotal role women play in any society. This idea gave birth to his project named, WOMEN ARE HEROES. JR has since travelled around the world to diverse nations documenting the stories contained in the eyes of women.
Click HERE for a video and photos from the WOMEN ARE HEROES project.
Warning. There is brief "National Geographic type" nudity in this video.
One year after the Face-2-Face project, JR heard a story of three young men who lived in a village in Brazil that is controlled by the drug cartels. These young men did not have their ID cards on them and they were arrested and brutally killed. JR went to Brazil and met with women who were directly connected with these young men - mothers, grandmothers, etc. While speaking with and photographing these women, JR realized what a pivotal role women play in any society. This idea gave birth to his project named, WOMEN ARE HEROES. JR has since travelled around the world to diverse nations documenting the stories contained in the eyes of women.
Click HERE for a video and photos from the WOMEN ARE HEROES project.
Warning. There is brief "National Geographic type" nudity in this video.
INSIDE OUT
"I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we'll turn the world...INSIDE OUT."
– JR, TED2011
The concept of the project is to give everyone the opportunity to share their portrait and a statement of what they stand for, with the world. Inside Out provides individuals and groups from all corners of the globe with a way to make a statement. The photographic portraits are used to share the untold stories and images of people in their own communities.
Click HERE photos from the Inside Out project. Be sure to explore the different locations as that is a critical component of this installation.
"I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we'll turn the world...INSIDE OUT."
– JR, TED2011
The concept of the project is to give everyone the opportunity to share their portrait and a statement of what they stand for, with the world. Inside Out provides individuals and groups from all corners of the globe with a way to make a statement. The photographic portraits are used to share the untold stories and images of people in their own communities.
Click HERE photos from the Inside Out project. Be sure to explore the different locations as that is a critical component of this installation.
UNFRAMED
Unframed is an ongoing project since 2010. In other projects, where JR uses his own photography, in Unframed, he uses images by famous or anonymous photographers. These photographs, old or recent, cropped or enlarged create monumental artworks on the facades of the neighborhood and transform their meaning through the use of location.
Click HERE photos from the Unframed project. Be sure to explore the different locations as that is a critical component of this installation.
Unframed is an ongoing project since 2010. In other projects, where JR uses his own photography, in Unframed, he uses images by famous or anonymous photographers. These photographs, old or recent, cropped or enlarged create monumental artworks on the facades of the neighborhood and transform their meaning through the use of location.
Click HERE photos from the Unframed project. Be sure to explore the different locations as that is a critical component of this installation.
LES BOSQUETS
Another project by JR is Les Bosquets at NYCB in which JR tries his hand at choreography. With music from Woodkid and help from dancer Lil Buck, JR has created a ballet inspired by the 2005 riots in France.
Click HERE to explore photos and video from this groundbreaking project.
Another project by JR is Les Bosquets at NYCB in which JR tries his hand at choreography. With music from Woodkid and help from dancer Lil Buck, JR has created a ballet inspired by the 2005 riots in France.
Click HERE to explore photos and video from this groundbreaking project.