- Five locations across the city will be pasted with more than 3,000 black and white portrait photographs in celebration of the UEFA EURO 2020 Football Championships
- Renowned artist JR’s Inside Out project will cover pavements, roads and buildings across the city with his epic black and white portraits – including a gallery longer than two football pitches along the road at Tower Bridge
- Inside Out is the capital’s cultural celebration of football and its ability to bring people together
Portraits of Londoners, including key workers and school children, will be among thousands of faces adorning roads and buildings across London later this month, as the capital’s streets are transformed with spectacular outdoor photographic displays to celebrate UEFA EURO 2020.
More than 3,000 black and white photographs of Londoners’ faces will be exhibited at five locations across the city as part of a large-scale public installation by internationally acclaimed French artist JR, capturing the stories of Londoners during the tournament and celebrating the people that make up our capital.
London is hosting eight matches during UEFA EURO 2020, including both semi-finals and the final. The Mayor believes that the EUROs can act as a catalyst for London’s recovery from the pandemic, and wants as many Londoners as possible to be part of the action to showcase the capital’s diversity and generate excitement across the city, following the awful events of the last year.
On June 13, ‘Inside Out’ will create a spectacular display of images longer than two football pitches on the road across the famous Tower Bridge, spanning the river Thames. In partnership with the City of London, the road will be transformed into a huge outdoor art gallery, with photographs of London’s community heroes who have made a difference to their local area during the pandemic.
The exhibition will then go on to four further locations where hundreds more faces will be displayed on pavements, roads and buildings in celebration of London’s diverse communities, football and its ability to bring people together. The project will go on to reimagine Granary Square in King’s Cross with more than 400 faces, the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham with 200 faces, Lewisham Town Hall in Catford with 3000 faces and in the Royal Docks 420 faces will appear on to the Royal Victoria Dock wall and surrounding footpath. A special exhibition of portraits will also take place as part of the Wembley Park Outdoor Gallery and the Outside Art project at Kings Cross.
A number of schools, grassroots organisations, hospital staff, community champions and volunteers have already been photographed in preparation for the installation at Tower Bridge. Londoners working or living close by to the locations will also be invited in advance to book to have their photo taken as part of the project.
The Inside Out Project was created by award winning artist JR, whose photographic portraits have encouraged discovery, revelations and sharing of untold stories of people around the world through collaborative action and impact. Over the past decade, more than 400,000 people across 138 countries have taken part in Inside Out which has inspired collaborations and conversations about a range of topics including diversity, feminism, racism, climate change and art.
This series of temporary outdoor exhibitions complements the Mayor of London’s Let’s Do London campaign, which is encouraging Londoners and visitors to come back to the city and take advantage of London’s public spaces and cultural riches. The Let’s Do London campaign includes a wide-ranging programme of one-off special events created in partnership with London’s best-known cultural institutions and tourism attractions to bring central London’s economy back to life following the impact of the pandemic.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It’s fantastic that eight games from the UEFA EURO 2020 Football Championships are taking place in London this summer, and the Inside Out project is a great way for Londoners to mark the tournament. Five locations across our capital will be transformed into spectacular open exhibition spaces in a celebration of our diversity and the incredible efforts of our community heroes over the last year. It will show the power of football to bring people together and will be another great reason for Londoners and visitors to safely enjoy our capital this summer.”
JR, artist and creator of Inside Out, said: “The Inside Out Project will allow any person in London to express a visual statement with their portrait. It's the first photobooth truck activation since a long time, at a beautiful moment of reopening – bringing people together again and building bridges through art."
Lord Mayor of the City of London, William Russell, said: “It is a tremendous idea to turn our Tower Bridge, arguably, one of the most famous landmarks in the capital, into a massive artwork to celebrate the laudable contribution of thousands of local heroes and UEFA EURO 2020. I am sure that JR’s portraits will bring a smile to people’s faces and delight everyone who took part in this major project.”
Hannah Azieb Pool, Artistic Director/CEO Bernie Grant Arts Centre, said: “It’s been a real privilege to support Black artists and focus on work directly connecting with the community during the pandemic. And now, as we celebrate, reconnect and reflect with our annual Windrush Festival, we are thrilled to welcome JR’s democratic community project Inside Out to the heart of Tottenham and to showcase local heroes from our Black community in particular across our public spaces as part of this London-wide photographic installation. The generosity and care shown by people of all ages and backgrounds in Tottenham during this past year has been heartening and empowering and to highlight the humanity shown as London hosts football fans from across Europe is a gift.”
Notes to editors
Photos of past pastings are available here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v9q3mq9s86nttc0/AACU75j4d4Bq8oYEvSt6hsipa?dl=0
Inside Out is designed to have a minimal impact on the environment. It uses recycled paper and the photobooth is powered by compressed natural gas.
Londoners working or living close by to the locations will also be invited in advance to book to have their photo taken as part of the project. Those already photographed include Canon Barnett School, Tower Hamlets, Aldgate School, City of London, Islamia Primary School in Brent, Salusbury Primary School in Brent, Community champions in Brent, Community champions in Camden, Community groups, volunteers and key workers from Tower Hamlets, grassroots football players from various leagues including the Super 5 league, NHS workers from St George’s Hospital, Tooting, and transport workers.
Locations are listed below:
- Sunday 13 June - Tower Bridge Road
- Thursday 17 June, Friday 25 June, Saturday 26 June - Lewisham (Lewisham Town Hall)
- Friday 18 June – Granary Square, Kings Cross
- Saturday 19 June – Granary Square, Kings Cross
- Sunday 20 June – Granary Square, Kings Cross
- Monday 21 June - Bernie Grants Arts Centre, Tottenham
- Wednesday 23 June, Thursday 24 June, Wednesday 7 July, Thursday 8 July – Royal Victoria Dock, Royal Docks
The event coincides with JR’s retrospective Chronicles going live at Saatchi Gallery on 4 June.
JR: CHORINCLES. Book tickets now: saatchigallery.com/jrtickets
Open until 3 October 2021 at Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, London, SW3 4RY
In collaboration with the Brooklyn Museum, and with the generous support of Art Explora, JR: Chronicles is JR’s largest solo exhibition presented in the UK, featuring some of his most iconic projects from the past fifteen years. From JR’s early documentation of graffiti artists as a teenager in Paris (Expo2Rue, 2001), to his large-scale architectural interventions in cities worldwide (Inside Out), the exhibition also includes his most recent digitally collaged murals of diverse community portraits (The Chronicles of New York City, 2019) and maximum-security prison project (Tehachapi, 2019).
"JR: Chronicles takes visitors on a global journey through the intimate storytelling of one of today's most influential contemporary artists. The exhibition opens in London during a key moment in time in which social engagement and the power of communities have taken centre-stage in London and around the world." - Laura Uccello, Partnerships Director at Saatchi Gallery.
#JRSAATCHI
About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts over 5,000 schools visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a charity, beginning a new chapter in its history. www.saatchigallery.com
Inside Out in Lewisham
Inside Out London comes to Catford Broadway from 17 June with portraits of local people taken and pasted onto Lewisham Town Hall. The project will celebrate Lewisham’s rich diversity and local culture in the lead up to its year as Borough of Culture - an award given by the Mayor of London. An ambitious programme in 2022 will shine a light on Lewisham’s neighbourhoods, communities and stories to amplify voices and inspire positive change.
Outside Art Kings Cross
The Outside Art Project turns King’s Cross into one of the largest outdoor gallery spaces in London. Enjoy incredible art from an exciting line up of local, national and international artists, with a year-round programme of always-on, always-free, and always open art on the streets of N1C. The project is made up of 24 seating benches dotted throughout the open space of Granary Square.
About King’s Cross
King’s Cross is London's creative neighbourhood: 67 acres of inspiring businesses, outstanding architecture, destination retail and dining, and a vibrant cultural scene.
The area’s industrial past has inspired the 50 new and repurposed buildings, including the iconic Gasholders London and the Granary Building. The estate also has 27 acres of public space, a mix of parks, streets, squares, and gardens, with Granary Square and its iconic fountains as a heart.
King’s Cross has close to 2,000 homes – a mix of private, rental, student and affordable housing – and over 20,000 people now working in the neighbourhood. King’s Cross is home to leading international and UK companies including Google, Havas, Camden Council, The Office Group, ArtFund and Universal Music.
Already known as a foodie hotspot, King’s Cross is also an established retail destination with Coal Drops Yard offering 100,000 sq ft of shops, bars and restaurants within a pair of reimagined Victorian coal buildings.
@kingscrossN1C
Bernie Grants Arts Centre
On 21st June The Bernie Grant Arts Centre will open its doors for the first time since Spring 2020 with a week of performances, workshops and live events that celebrate the descendants and community of the Windrush Generation in Tottenham and beyond. Inside Out will be the inaugural arts project as JR’s infamous photo van will occupy the Square and portraits of the Tottenham community are pasted across the Centre for all to see.
The Windrush Festival commences on the 22nd June, which is Windrush Day across the UK. The festival will celebrate Black British culture and on the evening of the 22nd the Centre will host “An Evening with Carroll Thompson”, the undisputed Queen of Lover’s Rock, who will be joined by special guests including DJ Shy One, the Black Obsidian Sound Collective (nominated for this years Turner Prize), Curtis Holder (Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2020), Small Axe writer Courttia Newland and producer Helen Bart and novelllist Leone Ross to celebrate Windrush Day. The Festival will culminate in a huge weekend community celebration of Black British culture for the whole family headlined by soul sensation Yolanda Brown and the Godfathers of UK Soul, Don-E, Junior, Noel Mckoy and Omar known as The British Collective. This alongside circus performance from Upswing, dance by Steppaz, workshops for young people around the 10th anniversary of the riots in Tottenham and much more.
For more details berniegrantartscentre.co.uk or @bgartscentre on instagram
Royal Docks Enterprise Zone – Cultural Programme:
The Royal Docks Enterprise Zone is a joint project between the Mayor of London, the London Borough of Newham, led by Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, and the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP). Culture is at the heart of the Enterprise Zone's vision for the area, and its plans are for the Royal Docks to be a world-leading location for imaginative and dynamic events. The Royal Docks will become 'London's Cultural Engine', a place where creative work is made, new ideas are germinated, and cultural participation is open at all. Inspired by its diverse communities, rich heritage, and exceptional water and landscape, its world-class programme will make the Royal Docks an irresistible destination and an inspiring home.
Inside Out will coincide with the 100th Anniversary of the completion of the Royal Docks on 8th July, providing a perfect opportunity to celebrate the people who work and live there.
@YourRoyalDocks
Wembley Park Outside Gallery
Wembley Park will open a new permanent outdoor gallery in June 2021, debuting portraits of sixteen Brent residents as part of the Inside Out project. There will be 16 light boxes, designed by Toy and Robin, installed on Wembley Park Boulevard to form a free-to-access, year-round gallery with a new exhibition every three months. The Wembley Park Outdoor Gallery will join the neighbourhood’s popular art trail and forms part of Wembley Park’s extensive cultural programme, much of which has been reimagined since the onset of Covid-19, to make the most of its open spaces, support artists in this difficult time and demonstrate how beneficial cultural programming is to public wellbeing. The Inside Out exhibition will run at the Wembley Park Outdoor Gallery from 1st June to 1st September.
Find out more information here Summer of Play (wembleypark.com)