JR adds habitable moon room to 'casa amarela', a cultural center in rio's first favela

JR has been engaging with a favela community in rio de janeiro in the creation of ‘casa amarela’ — a cultural, social and educational center for the area — for more than seven years. without sponsors or support from brands, the french street artist inaugurated the site in 2009 as a place to promote artistic and cultural activities, and has since collaborated with other artists on the project’s continued success.

now, in celebration of the rio olympics, the artist has returned to brazil to add a series of installations to the urban landscape — the latest of which is a monumental moon sculpture situated on the roof of ‘casa amarela’.

image © diego deus

JR’s ‘casa amarela’ (the yellow house) is located in the favela morro da providência. the vibrant building is wrapped in a giant wooden installation realized by artists takao shiraishi and diirby, and painted with colorful characters by OS GEMEOS. educators travel from across the world to visit the art house, teaching young people about photography, culture, and art, and utilizing its children’s library and open-air cinema.

image courtesy of JR

JR’s return to the site he started more than seven years ago includes the creation of a new installation on its roof. this towering crescent moon sculpture is built using the same materials as his recent works in rio: construction scaffolding. the giant moon, currently under construction, will become a habitable space where artists in residence can work and provide classes for local youth. 

image by JR / courtesy of casa amarela

image courtesy of casa amarela

image courtesy of marc

image courtesy of JR

images courtesy of marc

image by marcelo santos braga

image courtesy of casa amarela

image by JR / courtesy of casa amarela

image by JR / courtesy of casa amarela

image courtesy of casa amarela

image courtesy of casa amarela

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