JR brings his Rio Giants to London

Missed the chance to see JR’s Giants installation series when it was in Rio for the 2016 Olympics? Then head down to Lazinc in London to view a set of artworks related to the project.

In 2016, French artist JR – who is renowned for creating large-scale artworks that pop up seemingly overnight in cities across the world – was chosen as one of three artists-in-residence for the Rio Olympics.

He responded with typical grandeur, creating a series of three monumental installations that were installed across the city. The artworks featured epic photographs of three athletes – French triathlete Léonie Periault, Mohamed Younes Idriss, a Sudanese high jumper and Brazilian diver Cleuson Lima Do Rosario. None were Olympic athletes, yet, but rising stars who had missed the games for various reasons.

For a new exhibition at Lazinc (formerly Lazarides Gallery, now in a new space in Mayfair, London), JR is displaying a series of artworks created in response to the installations in Rio, including a number of artworks that reveal, to an extent, his working practice.