JR Unveils New Paris Mural To Honor George Floyd and Adama Traoré

Acclaimed French artist JR recently unveiled a new mural in Paris to honor George Floyd and Adama Traoré — a young Black man who died in police custody in France almost four years ago. JR teamed up with renowned French director Ladj Ly and students from his film school to create the sprawling outdoor piece. The artwork portrays one eye of Floyd on one wall and one eye of Traoré on another wall.

The death of Floyd has reignited calls for justice for Traoré. This past weekend, over 23,000 people across France paid homage to both Traoré and Floyd, denouncing systemic racism and police brutality in cities such as Lyon, Lille, Nice, Bordeaux and Metz.

“Things are different in France and in the US : violence, police, justice, prisons, etc.,” said JR on Instagram. “But in France, like in the US and in many other countries, Blacks are too often victims of racism and discriminations. Together, we must change that.”

Take a look at the mural in the slideshow above. Elsewhere in art, Sterling Ruby will inaugurate the new Xavier Hufkens Gallery in Brussels with a solo exhibition of his latest works.

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Adama Traoré x George Floyd — Hommage des étudiants de @ecolekourtrajme @ladjly — « Avec en avant plan les marques au sol qui étaient à l’endroit exact ou George Floyd est mort à Minneapolis peint par l’artiste @__zenith______ , l’oeil d’Adama Traoré et celui de George Floyd regardent vers l’horizon, dans des directions différentes … Il n’est pas question de confondre la France avec les Etats-Unis. Tout y est différent : violence, police, justice, prisons, etc. Mais, en France, comme aux États-Unis, et dans de nombreux autres pays, les noirs sont victimes de racisme et de discriminations. Ensemble, nous devons changer les choses. » Collage Paris 10Eme au 15 rue Jan Karski Adama Traoré x George Floyd — Tribute by the students of @ecolekourtrajme @ladjly — « On a foreground bearing the marks on the floor of the place where Georges Floyd died in Minneapolis designed by the artist @__zenith______ , the eye of Adam Traoré and the eye of George Floyd are looking at the horizon. Things are different in France and in the US : violence, police, justice, prisons, etc. But in France, like in the US and in many other countries, Blacks are too often victims of racism and discriminations. Together, we must change that. » Pasting Paris 10, at 15 rue Jan Karski additional photos by @baptistelignel @aguirre_schwarz

A post shared by JR (@jr) on Jun 9, 2020 at 10:37am PDT