JR: Chronicles Multimedia works with a message in the Kunsthalle

The most extensive retrospective to date of the French street artist JR (*1983) at the Munich Kunsthalle will continue to inspire visitors with unconventional and magnificent works until 15 January 2023. The photographs, videos, and large-scale posters by the French creative evoke a rethink in visitors to the exhibition by playing with perception and reality.

For example, a quick first glance at the portrait of French filmmaker Ladj Ly suggests a man with a gun in his hand, but on second glance, it turns out to be a camera. Such ambiguous motifs are typical of the artist JR, who is celebrated by many critics as a younger Banksy. Like the latter, he became famous for his primarily politically motivated graffiti.

JR puts people and grievances in the foreground, portrays them, prints their images oversized on paper, and decorates streets, houses, container ships, border walls and trains with them.

This perceptive, empathetic art directs visibility to those who desperately need it. The intention is not to provide answers but rather to raise questions that encourage the viewer to engage in dialogue. A visit to the Kunsthalle is therefore always worthwhile - if only to sharpen one's own view of the world.

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Nina Zeller

Author Munich