JR

‘JR’ never reveals his real name, as his anonymity is crucial so he can travel and not get caught for the art he creates, as he does not ask permission from the authorities. In ways he is opposite to Christo and Jeanne-Claude, as they had to request permission from many different people and have to be very patient until beginning their work, where as JR completes work with no permissions whatsoever, which links him to my unit. He creates art in unexpected places, calling himself a ‘photograffeur’ as he went from being a graffiti artist to a photographer and combines the two. He pastes oversized black and white photo canvases in public locations, and doesn’t ask permission as matter of pride. He likes to exhibit wherever he likes which is the reason behind his anonymity.

For the second phase of one of his projects, JR went to the Middle East, where he mounted what is believed to be the largest illegal photo exhibition in the world. He constructed a border wall running through conflicted areas between Israel and Palestine, with an image pasted of a rabbi, a priest and an imam wearing deliberately comic expressions. About the piece, JR said ‘It's about breaking down barriers," - "With humour, there is life.' JR also went to third world countries, ‘Women Are Heroes’ is the third phase of the project and has seen him travelling to Kenya, where he covered 2,000m² of rooftops with blown-up photographs of the women who lived there. He did this because he said he had an interest in the way the men were out working and on the streets, while women were the ones ‘holding the community together’.
I think this reflects my current unit of 'Interaction' as JR holds exhibits of his work and has showed examples of him interacting with the community as he has views and opinions on locals in certain areas that are reflected in his work. I think his work is very original and I like his style of art, as it seems quite personal yet everyone can enjoy it.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/mar/07/street-art-jr-photography