JR's Wrinkles of the City

JR is a French artist whose project Wrinkles of the City features paste-ups of the elderly. He began this project in the Spanish town of Cartagena in 2008 with the goal of shining light on the forgotten of society, the elderly. His work can be seen in cities such as Havana, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Istanbul, and Berlin. JR brought his exhibit to Berlin in 2013 by putting 15 paste-ups all over the city. Most of the paste-ups have been destroyed throughout the years, however their influence on Berlin remains.

JR's Wrinkles of the City aims to shine a light on the forgotten of society, the elderly. In 2013 he brought this exhibit to Berlin with 15 paste-ups which he put throughout the city. The elderly of society are so often dismissed, however JR aims to show that they deserve respect and dignity as they have experienced things and events that many people never will. Unfortunately, in many cultures this emphasis on the importance of the elderly is not executed, and for this reason JR made his exhibit international. Remembering history is important for all areas, but particularly for Berlin.

The Wrinkles of the City exhibit in Berlin forces Berliners to remember what their elderly have faced, the oldest of them having lived through World War II and the Berlin Wall, which were extremely difficult and impactful times for Berlin's history. By looking at paste-ups of their elderly, Berliners are forced to remember the horror, destruction, and attempted genocide that took place during World War II as well as the separation of their city during the time of the Berlin Wall, and how their elderly lived through, and contributed to these events. Today, most of the paste-ups no longer remain, however their important impact not the city does. Remembering history is important for everyone, but it is specifically important for Berliners, and all Germans, as they look at what role they played in history and who they will be in the future. JR encourages and facilitates this reflection in Berlin with is Wrinkles of the City exhibit.

Admin. “The JR Street Art Project Wrinkles of the City in Berlin - in Honor of Berliners.” Berlin Street Art, Berlin Street Art, 6 Feb. 2018, https://berlinstreetart.com/jr-street-art-berlin/.