JR is an anonymous street artist who calls Paris home when he’s not trekking the planet and spreading his perspective. JR remains anonymous because many of his installations are illegal or, as he would put it, “unofficial.”

In recent years, the urban activist JR has been photographing non-stop and has been involved in many ambitious international projects. This October, JR’s work was featured on the front page of the New York Times, and he acted as the official photographer for Vincent Cassel’s last film, as well as displaying at the Museum of Photography in Paris. Further, the documentary feature “Outside” will be released in the next year, which features JR and a dozen or so other international artists such as Os Gemeos collaborating on large-scale public art projects in a small German town.

JR’s first book, “Carnets de Rue,” is the diary of his trip around the world, and it documents various street artists from Shepard Fairey to Prune as they work, live, and art. His newest book, “28mm: Portrait of a Generation,” compiles his project of documenting (in hopes of humanizing) urban youths in French projects, namely Clichy Sous Bois and Montfermeil. This project began before and continued during the widely publicized riots and unrest in Paris. As such, the project’s aim has been to give this population a face and identity, and JR’s playful portraits of these youths have been pasted in large format all over Paris.

This was JR’s first exhibition on the West Coast.

Visit JR on the web at: http://www.jr-art.net/

Participating Artist(s):