JR has brought his art to the world with monumental works of public art capable of involving citizens on social issues: from the Brazilian favelas to a maximum security prison in California, from the Louvre Pyramid to the Egyptian pyramids, from the border between Israel and Palestine to Mexico border with the United States.
The exhibition is curated by Arturo Galansino and will occupy approximately 4.000 square meters of the museum in Piazza San Carlo
Valeriia, Thierry, Andiara, Angel, Jamal, Ajara, Moise and Mozhda are the names and faces of the children who embody these forced migrations. By enlarging their portrait on huge tarpaulins, JR restores an identity to those who are deprived of it. Their effigy on the Opera Square of Lviv (Ukraine), in the fields of Mugombwa (Rwanda), Mbera (Mauritania), Lesvos (Greece), in the host community of Cúcuta (Colombia). They come from Ukraine, Congo, Venezuela, Mali, Afghanistan but they share the same attitude.
Michael Coppola, Executive Director of Art, Culture and Historical Heritage of Intesa Sanpaolo and Director of the Gallerie d'Italia, comments: "We are presenting in Turin, for the first time in an Italian museum, the work of one of the most original international artists attentive to major social changes. The project, which combines street art, photography and video installations, confirms the vocation of Turin's Gallerie d'Italia to stimulate reflection on today's complexities, in line with Intesa Sanpaolo's commitment to sustainable and inclusive growth".
JR declares: “In 2022, the number of people forced to flee their place of residence due to persecution, war, violence and human rights violations passed the ominous 100 million mark. This emergency is now exacerbated by food and energy shortages, inflation and climate-related crises. In many countries of Africa, the Middle East, South America, at the gates of Europe, populations are forced to abandon their homes to ensure their survival elsewhere. The war in Ukraine resulted in the most sudden and one of the largest forced exiles since World War II. A symbol of this never-ending tragedy, the Greek island of Lesvos is the scene of the ebb and flow of migrants arriving by sea as conflicts develop. This geography of forced relocation constitutes “off-limit places” that receive excessive media attention and are at the same time invisible”.
