The Chronicles of Kyoto
With the complicity of KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival
From October 26 to November 2, 2024, internationally acclaimed French artist JR will visit various locations throughout Kyoto, engaging with passersby and taking portrait photographs. The photos will be collaged together to create The Chronicles of Kyoto, a highly realistic, photographic mural that will offer a window into the social dynamics and paradoxes present in the city.
About the project: The Chronicles of Kyoto
This will be JR’s seventh Chronicles mural worldwide and the first in Asia. Inspired by the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, the series imagines how an entire community can be represented through art. Through JR’s unique process of taking participants’ portraits and recording their voices, he not only visually depicts the energy of a city, but also embeds a diverse array of human stories directly into the artwork. Each participant’s voice is connected to their portrait through the free augmented reality app JR:murals.
Everybody is welcome. We look forward to seeing you at the different shooting locations!
Schedule*
- October 26 (Saturday) 12:00 – 19:00 – Kamogawa Delta West-side (In case of rain: under Kamo-Ohashi Bridge)
- October 27 (Sunday) 8:00 – 15:00 – Ohara Cultural Centre
- October 28 (Monday) 14:00 – 20:00 – Toei Studios Kyoto
- October 30 (Wednesday) 12:00 – 19:00 – Kyoto Station Square
- October 31 (Thursday) 12:00 – 19:00 – DeMachi (Demachi Masugata Shopping Arcade)
- November 1 (Friday) 9:00 – 16:00 – Kyoto City Hall Square (In case of rain: The basement of Kyoto City Hall)
- November 2 (Saturday) 10:00 – 17:00 – In front of Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum (In case of heavy rain: ‘Welcome Hall’ at Miyako Messe)
- * Please note the schedule may be subject to changes on the day.
About the project: Chronicles
In 2017, JR started a series of epic participatory murals, inspired by the work of the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (1886–1957). Each work entailed photographing and filming hundreds of people, alone or in groups, and then collaging their portraits together to create a narrative and highly-realistic composition that dealt with a place or social issue. The participants decide how they want to be represented and remembered.
Past Chronicles
About the artist: JR
JR (b. France) has the largest art gallery in the world. Thanks to his photographic collage technique, he exhibits his work free of charge on the walls of the whole world – attracting the attention of those who do not usually go to museums.
In 2004 he launched the 28 Millimeters Project in and around Clichy-Montfermeil. He later created the Face 2 Face (2007) project in the Middle East, and the Women Are Heroes (2008-2011) project in Brazil and Kenya. A documentary capturing JR’s creative process was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 (Critics’ Week).
JR has created “Infiltrating art”. During his collage activities, the local communities take part in the act of artistic creation, with no stage separating actors from spectators. The anonymity of JR and the absence of any explanation accompanying his huge portraits leave him with a free space in which issues and actors, performers and passers-by meet, forming the essence of his work.
In 2016, JR was invited by the Louvre, whose pyramid he made disappear the with the help of an astonishing anamorphosis. The same year, during the Olympic Games in Rio, he created gigantic new sculptural installations throughout the city, to underline the beauty of the sporting gesture.
How to get involved
Do you want to be a part of the largest ever public art project in Kyoto’s history, created through photograph?
In collaboration with KYOTOGRAPHIE Kyoto International Photography Festival, internationally acclaimed artist JR will create a unique public art project titled The Chronicles of Kyoto. Any resident of Kyoto can participate in the creation of this artwork.
During October 26 to November 2, JR will be visiting locations around Kyoto City to take portraits of the people of Kyoto and capture their stories on video. Your portrait and story will be featured in a large scale, public mural, as part of JR’s The Chronicles series.
There’s no requirements other than you must live in Kyoto and be available during the shooting period (October 26 to November 2). This project aims to capture the diverse people that make up Kyoto City!
The Chronicles of Kyoto will be revealed at the 13th edition of KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival during April 12th – May 11th, 2025.
Don’t miss the chance to be involved in Kyoto’s photographic history! Participants will be selected on a first-come-first-serve basis so apply today and don’t miss out!
If you would like to be involved in this project, please register below. Once you have submitted the application we will be in touch with further details about the shoot.