JR sites supersized silhouettes of immigrants waiting in line at the armory show entrance

JR has unveiled a monumental installation at the armory show in new york, which opens this week. on the façade of pier 94, the internationally renowned artist debuts an enormous new work that transforms archival ellis island photographs into a large-scale public art piece. ‘so close’ expands on JR’s often politically-charged interventions and installations, which see larger-than-life-sized, black-and-white portraits pasted across cities.

JR, so close, 2018 | co-presented by artsy and deitch projects | all images by teddy wolff for the armory show

presented in partnership with artsy and jeffrey deitch, JR’s ‘so close’ sees supersized silhouettes of immigrants waiting in line at the armory show entrance. archival images sourced from ellis island are updated with portraits of syrians the artist took at the zaatari refugee camp back in 2017. ‘so close’ responds to global immigration crises, and symbolically sits at a point of entry to the city, the country, and the art world. the installation is the marquee feature of the fair’s platform section, curated by jen mergel, who has selected 15 site-responsive works sited around pier 92 & 94 under the theme ‘the contingent’.

on the façade of pier 94, the internationally renowned artist debuts an enormous new work

‘so close’ transforms archival ellis island photographs into a large-scale public art piece

the installation expands on JR’s often politically-charged interventions and installations

the project is presented in partnership with artsy and jeffrey deitch

archival images sourced from ellis island are updated with portraits of syrians the artist personally took