Perrotin London to unveil JR’s monumental portraits of hope

Perrotin London will inaugurate its new gallery space with Outposts, a solo exhibition by French artist JR, running from March 14th to May 3rd, 2025. Featuring over fifteen works, the exhibition presents two of JR’s ongoing series that explore themes of displacement, childhood, and resilience through striking visual narratives.

Déplacé·e·s, initiated in 2022, amplifies the stories of refugee children worldwide. Monumental portraits, printed on vast banners and carried through refugee camps, serve as powerful reminders of lost identities and childhood innocence amidst crisis. The works challenge viewers to see these children not as statistics, but as individuals with dreams and aspirations.

Building upon this project, Les Enfants d’Ouranos translates JR’s subjects into glowing white silhouettes on black-painted reclaimed wood, evoking the sacred and the unseen. Inspired by Ouranos, the primordial Greek god of the sky, these ethereal figures elevate displaced children to a realm of divine presence, embodying both vulnerability and strength.

The exhibition also includes video screenings that document the making of Déplacé·e·s, offering insight into JR’s large-scale installations and their impact on communities. One of the exhibition’s focal points is Valeriia, a 45-meter-long banner depicting a five-year-old Ukrainian refugee, first unfurled in Lviv, Ukraine, in March 2022. The powerful image, which later graced the cover of Time magazine, became a symbol of resilience and hope in the face of war.

As the first exhibition in Perrotin’s new London space, Outposts underscores the gallery’s commitment to showcasing artists who merge activism with art. “London has always been special to me,” JR reflects. “It’s where I had my first gallery show in 2008, and I’m honored to open Perrotin’s new space with this exhibition.”