JR Stricks Back Louvre Edition

How come a contemporary artist becomes a magician ? Having followed and worked with JR for the almost 10 years I am not surprised that he did so. That’s the wonderful part of working with amazing artists. Everything is possible with him. His latest public artwork, a large photographic piece that wraps the iconic glass pyramid outside the Musée du Louvre causing it to disappear against the palace facade. The installation is an optical illusion in black and white and it has been pasted on one of the walls of the Louvre pyramid. It represents the facade of the Louvre that usually is behind, usually hidden by the monument. With this trick the old palace comes back on the front scene, and the more contemporary pyramid disappears. Making us gaze and admire the main Louvre entrance from a different point of us. JR is playfully offering us a new perspective. Funnily enough because the Pyramid is hidden you see it even more. The tribute to architecture goes both ways: towards the ancient and the contemporaries!

The piece is the main part of the show titled “JR au Louvre,” and is comprised of photographic prints of the museum itself adhered to the glass exterior. When viewed from just the right vantage point it creates an illusion of the pyramid seeming to vanish.

JR is known for his large-scale public flyposting of black and white photographs, most commonly of people’s faces. While the pyramid piece is clearly visible outdoors, the exhibition will also involve a 24-hour event on May 28-29th. The happening involves a series of films, workshops, a music performance by Nils Frahm, and a dance performance by the New York City Ballet.

"The street is an open air museum" always says JR. With this new projects he opens new perspective in his work. "My work allows the transmission of past stories to better understand the present and find echo with the times, "says JR, thus echoes the controversy occurred during the installation of the Pyramid in 1989 by famous chinese architect IM Pei.

This giant collage was installed Tuesday throughout the day. In addition to being a work of art, it will also be a game to passersby, whether tourists or Paris. "There is only one point of view that will see the work in its entirety, and other angles that will deconstruct" the ad creator. Photo enthusiasts will break and head to find the right camera angle.

The JR installation at the Louvre is to discover from May 28, 2016 to June 27, 2016.

Article by Magda Danysz

一个当代艺术家，街头艺术家，摇身一变，成了魔术师？我与JR 工作了近十年，这样的转变并不足以让人惊讶。这就是和优秀的艺术家合作的奇妙之处。对于他来说，一切皆有可能。他最新公开的作品，是卢浮宫外面的玻璃金字塔建筑的摄影作品。但是JR 使用光学换觉得效果，利用博物馆的巨幅照片将整个金字塔遮盖了起来，金字塔就像是融入了建筑，消失了一样。这幅作品，仿佛标志了这个建筑的过去和现在。

这件作品，是‘JR 金卢浮宫’展览的重头戏。如果你从右边看到这幅作品，金字塔就好像消失了一样。

JR 是著名的大型黑白照片摄影师，这是人们最熟悉他的身份。此次展出在5月28至29日举办，同时还有一系列电影、工作室、音乐演出、以及来自纽约城市芭蕾舞团的舞蹈表演。

JR说：“这条街，就是一个开放式的博物馆。”他也因此开辟了自己的新领域。“我的作品，可以通过对过去的诠释，更好地表达现在的一切，从而两者可以形成很好的呼应。”这幅作品，在某种程度上也呼应了1989年中国著名建筑时贝津铭对于建筑的歧义。

星期二一整天，工人们都在为这幅作品的安装努力，对于巴黎的游客也是一个好玩的游戏。“只有从一个角度才能看到这幅作品的整体，但是从其他的角度看，都只是片面的。”摄影爱好者一定会想破脑袋来寻找最佳的摄影角度。

JR 在卢浮宫的展出将在2016年5月28日至2016年6月27日展出。

Magda Danysz 著