Through JR’s eyes
For many years now, the artist JR has made a name for himself by creating monumental projects in city centres across the globe. Having first come into the spotlight with Portrait of a Generation (2004–2006), he has, over the years, produced a growing number of socially engaged works, from Face 2 Face (2007) in Israel and Palestine to Déplacé.e.s (2022) in refugee camps, via Kikito (2017) across the border between the United States and Mexico. Winner of the TED Prize in 2011 for his collective photography project Inside Out (2013), JR creates in collaboration with communities, exhibits in major international institutions and constantly explores various media and artistic pursuits, from film to dance. From 6 to 28 June 2026, he will also present his latest artwork, La Caverne du Pont-Neuf, a temporary installation centred around Paris’s oldest bridge.
Encouraging people to think is at the heart of JR’s approach. He demonstrates this once again by creating the official poster for Roland-Garros 2026. “My work is participative,” he told us during an interview in his studio in Paris. “And on the courts, the spectators physically share an experience, all together. I find these collective experiences even more vital now that so many things take place behind a screen. Roland-Garros represents the pinnacle of this experience: in the middle of the day, in full daylight, every single spectator is connected. It is something that needs preserving. The stadium has been extended over the years because people need that; they need to live this experience together.”