JR's exhibitions and works

JR started taking pictures in 2000. In the early days, he mainly photographed street graffiti, and later he decided to use the walls of Paris streets as canvases to create his works. In 2004, The Portrait of a Generation, the first chapter of his 28mm series, appeared on the front page of The New York Times. JR exhibited huge portraits of young people from the suburbs of Paris in his own town, and then brought them back and posted them in the European photographic art center and city hall in the center of Paris. He hopes to attract people's attention in this way.

After the first chapter caused great repercussions, in 2007, JR created the second chapter of the "28 mm" series, Face to Face, Israel and Palestine-Portrait of Twins. JR takes portraits of Israelis and Palestinians who are doing the same job, and shows them face to face on both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli separation wall and some towns in the Palestinian-Israeli region. 2011March 2, street photographer JR was awarded the annual TED prize in long beach, California, USA. At the TED conference, he called on people all over the world to participate in a global art project with the potential to change the world-subverting the world.

The activity was inspired by the huge street poster created by JR before. The purpose of subverting the world is to give every participant a chance to share their unknown stories and express their personal views on social issues by displaying personal portraits. The significance of this project is to turn personal identity information into a public art, and every action in response to the "subversion of the world" project will be recorded and displayed on the Internet. At present, more than 2000 people from 108 countries have participated in the project. From Ecuador to Nepal, from Mexico to Palestine, the "subversion of the world" project has aroused people's strong concern about many issues such as hope, pluralism, sexual violence and global warming.