JR Deplace·e·s

JR (1983) is considered one of the most important street artists of the last 20 years. He has succeeded in perfectly combining photography and the concept of urban art, reproducing large-scale images and incorporating them in the urban landscape in ever-more complex ways, but always empathizing strongly with the public. Known by many as the Parisian Banksy, JR describes himself as a ¿photograffeur¿, that is a mix of photographer and graffiti artist. JR displays his images in the planet¿s largest art gallery: his work is freely presented in the streets of the world, attracting the attention of people who do not normally visit museums. Highly-original and unmistakable, his works meld art and action; they speak of commitment, freedom and identity. Photo collage is the characteristic technique of JR¿s style, which has exploded in public art in cities all over the world. As the artist himself says: ¿I have the biggest art gallery imaginable: the walls of the whole world.¿ His research is a blend of originality and appropriation, but always distinguished by its public character and empathic aspect, which has led him to create ¿engaging¿ works with a powerful visual impact in places and contexts that are always different: from the favelas in Rio de Janeiro to the large square of the Louvre Pyramid, Ellis Island in New York, the Tehachapi maximum security prison in California, and even the historic Palazzo Strozzi in Florence.