Challenging Stereotypes

28 millimetres

JR is a French photographer/activist who exhibits his photographs, often illegally, on the streets which he considers to be his gallery. Whilst he is usually found to be hanging his work clandestinely, one recent project became so powerful that the photographer was invited to hang legitimately outside Paris' European House of Photography.

In November 2005 the suburban housing area of Clichy-sous-Bois in northern Paris found itself at the sharp end of violent rioting, fuelled by the frustrations of unemployment, poor housing and pent-up racism.

The riots broke out when two youths, hiding form the police in an electricity sub station were electrocuted.

Residents in the area often perceived the youths from the housing project as 'alien' to Parisian culture; intimidating and anti-social. The images flashed around the world after the riots depicted these youngsters in the midst of the riots - images which only served to reinforce the entrenched prejudice.

JR decided to tackle to stereotypical attitude towards the black, 'foreign' residents of the area by confronting people's prejudices head-on.

"After the riots, Parisians viewed suburban kids as extraterrestrials. On television, you always saw them wearing masks. People said, 'those kids are all the same, everybody who comes from those areas took part in the riots.' Everybody was afraid of them. And so I decided to take pictures of them looking like monsters or extraterrestrials".

All images (C) JR, with thanks

URLs

All sites accessed and working 5/1/07

28 millimetres

International Herald Tribune

Christian Science Monitor