UNFRAMED AT LA FRICHE LA BELLE DE MAI IN MARSEILLE

source: jr-art

At la Belle de Mai, in Marseille, France, JR looked into the identity of the neighborhood and invited its inhabitants to think about the memory of it by having a look in their personal family albums.
These photographs, old or recent, cropped and enlarged, create a monumental artwork on the walls of the neighborhood and transform these personal memories into part of the collective history of La Belle de Mai.
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source: imaging-resource

Photographer and artist JR claims that he owns the largest art gallery in the world, a statement that is pure JR because his art gallery is the world. He’s a provocateur who believes that photography can be an agent for social change, and he brings his art directly to us in the cities and streets where we live, work and play.

JR calls himself a “photograffeur,” a term he invented to describe his creative work that merges photography and graffiti. He collects photos — some taken by himself, some by his team, some contributed by local photographers and citizens — enlarges them, and then plasters (or, technically, flyposts) them on public buildings in locales of his choosing. Often illegally. To me, he is a hyper-enthusiastic force of nature whose belief in the power of photographs to bridge social and political conflicts appears to be limitless.
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source: mp2013

JR expose ses photographies librement dans les villes du monde entier, profitant de toute surface exploitable pour coller de très grands formats, jouant des reliefs et des points de vue. À la Belle de Mai JR s’est intéressé à l’identité du quartier et a invité ses habitants à plonger dans leurs albums personnels. Ces photos, anciennes ou actuelles, re-cadrées et agrandies forment une œuvre monumentale sur les façades du quartier et de la Friche.