JR are will make you Jump Jump

Few execute and deliver a subject the way French photographer JR does. One cannot help but notice the presentation and delivery of his work. His photographic process involves a combination of exaggerated portraiture and giant scale prints. Just as important as the process, meaning and mode meet in the finalized presentation, in which his close-up portraits, blown up to building-sized proportions, are  wheat-pasted prominently amidst the subjects’ home environment.

The 28-millimeter project is a great example of how far JR’s delivery has progressed since he began working with photography in 2003. This project captures human emotion as its best, particularly The Face 2 Face sub phase is what had me. His wide angle images of Palestinians and Israelis  posted side by side all over the walls of Israel and Palestine reminds the viewer that despite perceived differences we are all human beings.

JR uses the street as a mobile gallery. His impact has been felt throughout the world. His work has an inspirational and call to action quality that drew me out of the studio and onto the streets.

Photographers are constantly bombarded to retain the rights of the photos we take in an effort to cash in on our passion. JR flips this capital driven version of creativity displaying his work with no intent to sell. Compelled to try this out for myself I armed  myself with some older prints and industrial cans of spray mount went out and hung my photos around the north side of Denver to engage the public. It was quite fulfilling to go back two days later and see most of the photos were still there. I worked in a much smaller scale and I assumed most of the art was simply passed up, as is most street art. That is why I can admire JR when he found a scale and size that every day life can see, enjoy and praise.