JR

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. Location: Palais de Tokyo, Paris. Dates: April 2 to April 13. JR (born 1983 in the suburbs of Paris) lives and works in Paris and New York. He is one of the most influential street artists and French artists with a global vision today, active in major cities worldwide—from Paris, New York, London, São Paulo, Istanbul, through the favelas of Brazil and Kenya, and so on. He is famous for large-scale black-and-white anonymous portraits of ordinary people. In 2011, he won the prestigious TED Prize. In 2014, he launched his participatory photo project "Inside Out." He exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in 2013, at Times Square in London in 2014, and at the Panthéon in Paris in 2015 (for details on these exhibitions, please refer to my blog).

Born and raised in the ethnically mixed suburb of Clichy-Montfermeil, JR took to street art early on to express suburban subculture and social tensions. In 2001, he found a camera on the Paris metro, which unexpectedly shaped his path toward creating black-and-white photographs. He began using the camera to record people and events around him while walking the subway at night and moving across Paris rooftops. He then pasted these black-and-white portraits of ordinary people onto the streets of Paris, pioneering his profound monumental black-and-white photographic work. These are often posted in public spaces to reveal their faces and prove the silent existence of these invisible small figures.

In 2014, he launched his representative generational portrait project. That same year, he photographed large-scale portraits of residents from his hometown area of Bosquets and pasted them on the walls of that region. Against the backdrop of suburban rebellion and riots, the artist recalled: "It was the first time I realized the impact of images; I decided to control the spread of the photos, using them only for the dissemination of artistic projects." (Note 1)

JR’s unique specialization lies in black-and-white portraits that engage with society. Through artistic actions, he sparks attention and discussion, particularly regarding contemporary capitalist issues such as wealth inequality, the living conditions of the lower classes, abandoned urban suburbs, and ethnic groups. His intent is to transform society and foster greater harmony among communities. When facing the social situation and context of his own hometown, JR said: "For over ten years, I have frequently returned to Clichy-Montfermeil with my director friend Ladj Ly. Each time I return, the environment has completely changed; life is always so stirring. My work involves architecture: architecture can unify like an embrace. This mural is a portrait erected for Clichy-Montfermeil, combining portraits from different eras. People see the town’s dullness, dilapidation, suffering, and intensified social tension boiling to a peak utopianly. This erupted into France’s most violent riots since the deaths of two young men, Zyed and Bouna, in 2005. The intention is to restore those struggling through a portrait from concrete poetry." (Note 2)

This epic, monumental wall mural of Clichy-Montfermeil, inspired by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, began at the end of 2016. The black-and-white photograph stands 4 meters high and 48 meters long. It features over 700 ordinary people, including every segment of society regardless of ethnicity, social class, age group, profession, or gender. JR constructs this epic narrative in a Rivera-esque compositional style, depicting various social events, life situations, and social fields. The crowded street scene resembles a movie plot: chaotic crowds resembling demonstrations, riots, scenes of looting department stores, people amidst smoke grenades, young students surrounding a football star, crowds playing with mobile phones, car theft scenarios, exhausted firefighters, and Muslims praying on the streets, among others. Almost the entire inclusive society is present in the mural.

This "Era of Clichy-Montfermeil" mural will be exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris for only two weeks. Afterward, it will be displayed for two weeks at Orbe in New York, USA, before finally returning home to be installed in the town of Clichy-Montfermeil.

Notes 1 and 2: Information sourced from the Palais de Tokyo press release for JR – The Era of Clichy-Montfermeil.