As far as street artists go arguably none is bigger than Banksy. None also comes as close to snatching that crown from Banksy as JR. JR as he is known is of Tunisian and Eastern European origin. He has had his work auctioned at Sotheby’s and has exhibited at the Tate Modern.
Unlike many urban artists JR uses his art to try to make a difference to others. Last year JR took his trade and a group of unpaid artists to a small community in Kenya called Kibera. By his own admission, as reported in the Times of London “The more you go to places like Kibera, the more you realise that the people don’t understand you, Food is their first need. They don’t do art just for the love of art. It has to make sense. By making their roofs rainproof, what we did made sense. They loved it.”
JR’s version of practical “art that makes a difference” manifested itself in an exhibition that transformed parts of Kibera into a portrait of residents plastered on rooftops and train carriages
JR Exhibition at the Tate Modern
WoW what a piece.
Nana…is he not brilliant? who would have thought “graffiti” which usually gets a bad rap could be used to make a difference like that. By the way, Sam Roberts – who we featured recently is a great fan of yours? Have you seen his stuff ? Type in Sam Roberts in the search menu on the site – his feature will come up