on-angle view of a laser cut acrylic and metal sculpture by JR on top of an MDF box printed to look like a building

JR

GIANTS, High jump in Rio

€6,667

Edition of 30

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A miniature giant by legendary photographer, JR.

In his ongoing Giants series, JR takes over buildings and monuments worldwide with enormous black and white portraits. The project began in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympics – championing determined world class athletes who didn’t quite make the cut. Mohamed, a Sudanese high-jumper, took his place on the roof of a foreclosed apartment building overlooking the ocean.

A first-of-its-kind sculpture archives the moment at a domestic scale. The figure, printed on acrylic, can be affixed to a scaffold made from welded steel rods and displayed in isolation, or placed on top of a bespoke plinth which doubles up as an edition box.

“All my works are ephemeral. If you go back to Rio it’s not there, but it’s there in people’s minds. For the people who haven’t seen it, here is the proof that it at some point existed.”

Watch the accompanying film to hear JR’s reflections on scale, scaffolding and the importance of protecting his naivety.

Go deeper

04:46

Behind the scenes

JR2 collaborationsJR takes public art to the next level. For nearly two decades, he’s made huge black and white photo installations in public spaces. But the art is not just exhibited in public, it’s made with the public too. Women are Heroes, for example, started in 2008. Since, the project has travelled across seven countries in four different continents. The artist works with women in local communities to take their portraits. These are then pasted onto local infrastructure like trains, houses and bridges. The huge images of their faces are symbols of empowerment, resilience and strength.

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