JR turns the camera on his own work as he builds some of his most monumental projects. From early illicit graffiti videos captured on Paris rooftops at night, to the US-Mexico border, to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, to a current collaboration at a California supermax prison, the film follows JR as he turns these communities inside out, turning images of residents into eye-catching and immersive art installations.
Paper & Glue follows the Oscar-nominated Faces Places, which was directed by JR along with Agnès Varda.
One of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2018, JR is a visual artist who exhibits freely in the streets of the world, pasting huge portraits of anonymous people in unexpected places. His work is about raising questions, seeking an encounter between the subject and the passer-by.
JR’s notes: “Paper & Glue is a film that challenges viewers’ perceptions by lifting the voices of people and places that are often overlooked. The film is the culmination of years of my work and includes an archive of photography and videos that span back to my adolescence. At the time of many of these recordings, I had no intention or awareness they could be used in this way. To have my work come full circle exemplifies the power of film, and the power of Paper & Glue. I hope this film further uplifts the essentiality of art and the potential it holds to reshape even our most ingrained beliefs. By challenging our expectations of people and places, I hope to change our greater perceptions of the world.”