JR: Chronicles is the largest retrospective dedicated to French artist JR (*1983) to date. The stories JR tells with his projects are intended to change our view of the world. His concern is to overcome borders and to build bridges between people. By means of photographs, videos, models, and large-scale pastings, this multimedia exhibition now makes it possible to experience JR’s projects at the Kunsthalle München.
JR became famous for pasting monumental portrait photographs on house fronts, trains, container ships, and border walls. By exhibiting at such locations, he also attracts the attention of those who don’t usually visit museums. He often focusses on people whose dignity and rights are commonly ignored. With his art, JR lends them visibility in a manner that is as perceptive as it is empathetic. His recent projects include large-scale pastings in a Californian maximum security prison, a TIME Magazine cover about guns in America, an enormous mural depicting some 750 residents of a Parisian suburb, and a gigantic installation at the border between Mexico and the USA.
JR deliberately keeps his true identity concealed, using only his initials and always wearing sunglasses and a hat. The focus is not on his person, but on his works; he leaves their interpretation to those portrayed and to passers-by. With his work, JR does not want to provide answers, but raise questions and encourage people to engage in dialog.
The exhibition’s last room presents Inside Out, one of the world’s largest participatory art projects. Since its launch in 2011, more than 445,000 people in almost 140 countries have participated. The project supports individuals and institutions by making their concerns visible and giving them public attention. From September 9 to 15, 2022, an Inside Out truck, converted into a mobile photo studio, will stop at various locations in Munich. Everyone is invited to be part of the project “Art & Culture for All”. Please join us and get yourself photographed in the truck. Your portrait will directly be printed and pasted on site. Further information on the project and particular locations available here.
JR: Chronicles is organized by the Brooklyn Museum. It is curated by Sharon Matt Atkins, Deputy Director for Art, Brooklyn Museum, and Drew Sawyer, Philip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Curator, Photography, Brooklyn Museum.