About JR
Biography
JR creates monumental public art projects that inspire passersby to ask questions and confront their own perceptions. His first large-scale project, Portrait of a Generation (2004-06), drew attention to the media’s clichéd and prejudiced portrayals of youth from Parisian suburbs by pasting the portraits of adolescents contorting their faces into whimsical grimaces.
He soon expanded his scope, traveling to conflict zones to amplify the stories of everyday people and foster dialogue. For his Face 2 Face project (2007), he took portraits of Israelis and Palestinians who shared the same profession and pasted the images in pairs along the Separation Wall. His artistic process transforms walls from a force of division to a place for social connection. He installed Kikito (2017), a gigantic toddler peeking over the US-Mexico border fence, and hosted a picnic around the huge eyes of a Dreamer across the border. For his Tehachapi projects (2019-22), he worked alongside incarcerated men in a supermax prison to create art installations inside the courtyard.
JR seeks to have local communities take part in the act of artistic creation, whether that be teaching 400 volunteers to paste and working as a team to create a trompe-l’oeil at the Louvre (2019) or gathering hundreds of people together in refugee camps to carry the enormous images of displaced children for his Déplacé.e.s series (2022). As of January 2024, his global participatory art project Inside Out has empowered more than half a million people to stand up for what they believe in through their large-scale black-and-white portraits.
A multimedia artist at his core, he’s incorporated audio, film, and dance into his works. For The Gun Chronicles mural, which was the cover of Time magazine (2018), he filmed and recorded the voices of 245 representatives of the differing views on firearms in the USA. He co-directed the Academy Award-nominated documentary Faces, Places (2017) with Nouvelle Vague legend Agnès Varda and explored his artistic process through his Emmy-nominated feature documentary Paper & Glue (2021). In the fall of 2023, he transformed the facade of the Palais Garnier in Paris into a stage for 153 dancers who performed on scaffolding thirty meters high for 25,000 onlookers.
Agnès Varda and JR, FACES, PLACES - 2017
JR further explores the subjects of his public installations through studio artworks, which include sculpture, glass works, ink on wood, marouflage on canvas, among other mediums and forms. The sale of these artworks is the main way he finances his public art projects. JR’s artworks and installations have been exhibited globally, including at the Venice Biennale (2022), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2019), and the NGV Triennial (2020). He has had major museum solo exhibitions, such as at Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris (2018) and JR: Chronicles at New York City's Brooklyn Museum (2019). JR: Chronicles traveled to five museums across Europe and Asia, including exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery in London (2021), the Groninger Museum (2021-22), Kunsthalle München (2022-23), and the LOTTE Museum in Seoul (2023).
JR is represented by Perrotin, PACE, Galleria Continua, Galeria Nara Roesler, and Simon Studer Art.
In 2013, the first retrospectives of JR's work took place in Tokyo (at the Watari-Um Museum) and the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, followed by exhibitions at the Frieder Burda Museum in Baden Baden in 2014, and at the HOCA Foundation in Hong Kong in 2015. He exhibited in 2018 at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, and in 2019 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Brooklyn Museum.
JR is represented by Perrotin, PACE Gallery, Galleria Continua and Nara Roesler.
JR also expands his artistic practice through his non-profit called Can Art Change the World?, which harnesses the power of art, culture and education to bring about social change both globally and in specific communities. In addition to Inside Out, the non-profit supports Refettorio Paris, a social kitchen that offers a fine dining experience to individuals facing social vulnerability and Casa Amarela, a community center in the favela Morro da Providência in Brazil.
Bibliography
2023 - Artist Until I Find a Real Job
Atelier JR
2023 - JR / Déplacé·e·s
Skira
2022 - JR Chronicles
Hirmer Verlag Publishers
2021 - JR Chronicles
W BOOKS
2021 - JR. La Ferita / The Wound
Marsilio Editori
2021 - How old am I ?
Phaidon
2020 - JR / Tehachapi
Maison CF
2019 – JR : Chronicles
Maison CF
2019 – Wrinkles
Phaidon
2019 – JR : Can Art Change the World?
Revised and expanded edition, Phaidon
2019 – JR : The Chronicles of New York City
Chronicles Books
2019 – JR : The Chronicles of San Francisco
Chronicles Books
2018 – JR : Momentum, la mécanique de l'épreuve
Maison CF
2018 – JR Giants : OG Rio
Actes Sud
2018 – Time Magazine, Guns in America
November 5 2018
2018 – Reporter Sans Frontières
JR 100 photos pour la liberté de la presse, Numéro 58
2017 – Inside Out
Rizzoli
2015 – JR : Can Art Change the World?
Phaidon
2015 – The Ghost of Ellis Island
Damiani
2015 – Dans l’objectif de JR
Pour les 11-15 ans, publié par Pyramides Éditions
2015 – Wrinkles of the City
Des rides et des villes, Editions Alternatives
2014 – Instaphotographers 2014
JR et 49 autres photographes instagrameurs. Jérémy Leclerc
2013 – Unframed Belle de mai
Marseille, Editions Alternatives
2012 – Wrinkles of the City - Los Angeles
JR + Louise Berrebi, Drago
2012 – Wrinkles of the City - La Havana
JR + José Parlá, Damiani
2012 – Wrinkles of the City – Shanghai
Drago
2011 – Artocratie en Tunisie
JR + Marco Berrebi, Éditions Alternatives
2011 – 28 Millimètres
Editions Alternatives
2010 – Wrinkles of the City - Shanghai
Drago
2010 – Design&Designer
Éditions Pyramyd, no 075
2010 – 28 Millimètres
Women are Heroes by JR, Éditions Alternatives, 2nd Édition
2010 – Beyond the Street
« The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art »'', Éditions Gestalten
2010 – Hors Série #4
Trois Couleurs, Numéro Spécial JR, Édité par MK2, 2010
2009 – 28 Millimètres
Women are Heroes by JR, Éditions Alternatives
2008 – Los Surcos de la Ciudad
Drago
2007 – Face 2 Face
Éditions Alternatives
2005 – Portrait d'une Génération
Éditions Alternatives
2004 – Carnet de Rue
Édition Free Presse
Filmography
2022 - The Past Goes Fast
2021 - Paper & Glue
2020 - Omelia Contadina
Codirected with Alice Rohrwacher
2017 – Faces Places
Codirected with Agnes Varda
2017 – Chroniques de Clichy Montfermeil
Codirected with Ladj Ly
2015 – Ellis
2015 – The Standing March
2014 – Rivages
Directed by Guillaume Cagniard
2014 – Les Bosquets
2013 – Inside Out
The people’s art project, directed by Alastair Siddons
2013 – Wrinkles of the City
Havana Cuba, codirected with José Parla
2011 – Women are Heroes
Exhibitions
2023 - Galleria Continua - "La Ferita"
Rome, Italy
2023 - Lotte Museum of Art - "JR: Chronicles"
Seoul, South Korea
2023 - Nara Roesler - "O papel da mão"
São Paulo, Brazil
2023 - Perrotin - "LES ENFANTS D’OURANOS"
New York City, USA
2023 - Gallerie d'Italia - "Déplacé·e·s"
Turin, Italy
2022 - Kunsthalle München - "JR: Chronicles"
Munich, Germany
2021 - Groninger Museum - "JR: Chronicles"
Groningen, Netherlands
2021 - Perrotin - "Contretemps"
Tokyo, Japan
2021 - Simon Studer Art - "Black and White"
Geneva, Switzerland
2021 - Saatchi Gallery - "JR: Chronicles"
London, UK
2021 - Pace - "JR: Eye to the World"
London, UK
2021 - Galleria Continua - "Truc à faire", curated by JR
Paris, France
2020 - NGV Triennial - "Homily to Country"
Melbourne, Australia
2020 - Galleria Continua - "Omelia Contadina"
San Gimignano, Italy
2020 - Perrotin - "Tehachapi"
Paris, France
2019 - Nara Roesler - "Patamar"
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2019 - Brooklyn Museum – "JR: Chronicles"
New York, NY, USA
2019 - Perrotin - "The Chronicles of New York City – Sketches"
New York, NY, USA
2019 - Musée du Louvre "JR au Louvre & le secret de la grande pyramide"
Paris, France
2019 - SFMOMA - "The Chronicles of San Francisco"
San Francisco, CA, USA
2019 - Pace - "The Chronicles of San Francisco - Sketches"
Palo Alto, CA, USA
2019 - Perrotin- "Unveiling"
Seoul, South Korea
2018 - Maison Européenne de la Photographie - "MOMENTUM. La Mécanique de l'Épreuve"
Paris, France
2018 - Perrotin - "Horizontal"
New York, NY, USA
2018 - J1 - "Amor Fati"
Marseille, France
2018 - Armory, Pier 94 - "So Close"
New York, NY, USA
2018 - Lazinc Gallery - "Giants - Body of Work"
London, UK
2017 - Château La Coste - "Mind the Gap"
Le Puy Ste Réparade, France
2017 - Palais de Tokyo - "Chroniques de Clichy-Montfermeil"
Paris, France
2017 - Galerie Perrotin - "Wrinkles of the City Istanbul"
Paris, France
2017 - Springmann Gallery - "The Wrinkles of the City, Istanbul – Body of Work"
Berlin, Germany
2016 - Centre Pompidou, GALERIE DES ENFANTS - "VOUS ÊTES ICI"
Paris, France
2016 - Musée du Louvre - "JR au Louvre"
Paris, France
2015 - Watari-Um Museum - "JR's Picture Show. 24 Frames per Second"
Tokyo, Japan
2015 - Perrotin - "DECADE. Portrait d'une génération"
Paris, France,
2015 - Tri Postal Lille - "Unframed : La Voix du Nord"
Lille, France
2015 - Lazarides Rathbone - "Crossing"
London, UK
2015 - Nuit Blanche Toronto - "JR Black and White Night"
Toronto, Canada
2015 - Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation, HOCA - "A Survey Exhibition"
Hong Kong, China
2015 - Galerie Perrotin - "Ghosts of Ellis Island"
Hong Kong, China
2015 - Centro de Arte Contemporaneo, CAC Malaga - "Uprising - An Inside Out project"
Malaga, Spain
2014 - Frieder Burda Museum - "JR"
Baden-Baden, Germany
2014 - Magda Danysz Gallery - "Close up"
Shanghai, China
2014 - Power Station of Art - "CLOSE-UP SHANGHAI - A PROJECT BY JR"
Shanghai, China
2014 - Dallas Contemporary - "Inside Out"
Dallas, TX, USA
2013 - Contemporary Arts Center - "JR"
Cincinnati, OH, USA
2013 - Watari-Um Museum
Tokyo, Japan
2013 - SPRINGMANN GALLERY - "The Wrinkles of the City, Berlin"
Berlin, Germany
2013 - Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery - "The Wrinkles of the City, Havana" JR & José Parla
New York, NY, USA
2013 - Lazarides Rathbone - "Actions"
London, UK
2013 - Belle de Mai - "Unframed"
Marseille, France
2012 - Galerie Perrotin - "Pattern"
Hong Kong, China
2012 - Festival Images
Vevey, Switzerland
2011 - Miami Art Basel, Galerie Perrotin - "Wall & Paper"
Miami, FL, USA
2011 - Centre Pompidou - Photo Booth installation
Paris, France
2011 - Galerie Perrotin - "Encrages"
Paris, France
2011 - MOCA - Art in the streets
Los Angeles, CA, USA
2011 - Emirati Expressions
Abu Dhabi, UAE
2011 - Les Rencontres d'Arles
Arles, France
2010 - Contemporary Art Biennal, in collaboration with Magda Danysz
Shanghai, China
2010 - Musée de l'Elysée, Festival Images - "Unframed"
Vevey, Switzerland
2010 - Museum of Contemporary Art of San Diego - "VIVA LA REVOLUCION: A DIALOGUE WITH THE URBAN LANDSCAPE"
San Diego, CA, USA
2010 - Lazarides Gallery - "Outsiders"
Los Angeles, CA, USA
2010 - Springmann Gallery - "Women are Heroes"
Dusseldorf, Germany
2009 - Ile Saint-Louis, Pavillon de l'Arsenal, Mairie du 4e arrondissement - "Women are Heroes"
Paris, France
2009 - Les Rencontres d'Arles
Arles, France
2009 - CASA FRANÇA BRASIL
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
2008 - Tate Modern - Street Art exhibition
London, UK
2008 - Musée Rath
Geneva, Switzerland
2008 - The Wrinkles of The City, Los Surcos de la Ciudad
Cartagena, Spain
2008 - Action In Brussels - "Women are Heroes"
Brussels, Belgium
2008 - Lazarides Gallery - "28 Millimetres: Women"
London, UK
2007 - Les Rencontres d'Arles
Arles, France
2007 - FOAM Museum
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2007 - La Biennale Arte di Venezia, Arsenal
Venice, Italy
2007 - Artitud
Berlin, Germany
2007 - Artcurial
Paris, France
2006 - Performance - "JR and co"
Wuppertal, Germany
2006 - Parvis de l'Hôtel de Ville de Paris
Paris, France
2006 - 11 Spring - "Sidewalk Gallery"
Manhattan, NY, USA
2006 - Murs de la Maison Européenne de la Photographie
Paris, France
2006 - Murs de l'Espace des Blancs Manteaux
Paris, France
2005 - CircleCulture
Berlin, Germany
2005 - Montanashop
Barcelona, Spain
2005 - Les Muses
Paris, France
2004 - The Arcade
Manhattan, NY, USA
2003 - La Loge
Paris, France
