JR's miami mural chronicles 1,048 portraits & stories across the city

the chronicles of miami by JR lands at miami art week 2023

Miami Art Week 2023: In November 2022, artist JR and his mobile studio visited ten historic and well-known neighborhoods that make up the fabric of Miami. He invited anyone passing by to take their portrait, photographing 1,048 residents and visitors. The artist ultimately collaged the pictures to create The Chronicles of Miami, a highly realistic photographic mural that offers a window into the social dynamics and paradoxes in Miami life. As one of JR’s most intricate murals to date, the project is debuting across two facades in December 2023 on the occasion of Art Basel Miami Beach. The first section of the mural is presented in the Design District’s Jungle Plaza, and the second section spans the facade of Superblue in Allapattah. Together, the installations measure over 122 meters.

The Chronicles of Miami, Jungle Plaza | image by Cayentano © JR

capturing the voices, stories, and faces of 1,048 residents

Inspired by the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, The Chronicles of Miami — the fifth mural of JR’s Chronicles series — envisions how one can capture an entire place through art. Using his unique process of photographing participants and recording their voices, the artist visualizes a city’s vitality and embeds a diverse array of human stories directly into the artwork. Each participant’s voice is connected to their portrait through the free augmented reality app JR:murals. In ten days, JR’s team set up a truck to go directly to the streets of Little Havana, the Design District, Liberty City, Miami Beach, Little Haiti, and Coconut Grove, among other places. Once settled, passersby were encouraged to step into the studio, where they were each given the chance to shape their portrait, deciding how they wanted to be seen and remembered. After their portrait session, JR invited them to share their thoughts or experiences in a recording booth. Some opened up about their connection to Miami or the city’s changing face, while others discussed their passions, concerns, or hopes.

The Chronicles of Miami, Superblue Miami | image © Oriol Tarridas Photography, courtesy Superblue Miami

visit the 122-meter-long mural at Jungle Plaza and superblue

JR initiated the Chronicles series in 2016 in Clichy-Montfermeil, expanding to capture entire cities like San Francisco and New York City in 2018 and 2019. His murals portray participants equally, emphasizing the importance of every community member. His work, including The Gun Chronicles, featured on TIME Magazine’s cover in 2018, aims to highlight diverse voices and perspectives. Accompanying the 400-feet mural is a short behind-the-scenes film about The Chronicles of Miami, which you can watch in full below. The mural is launching as part of the Jungle Plaza opening party on Monday, December 4th, from 7 to 10 PM. Visitors can also head to the Perrotin Pop-Up at The M Building to explore the making of the mural through JR’s newest artworks until December 10th. For those curious to meet JR, the artist will be at the Pop-Up on Tuesday, December 5th, for a ‘Meet the Artist’ from 5 to 6 PM. As part of Tribeca Storytellers, Robert De Niro and JR will converse on art, family, and film on Saturday, December 9th at 5 PM. They will discuss their previous collaborations and share an exciting glimpse into an unannounced project. Tickets are available at tribecafilm.com.

image © Oriol Tarridas Photography, courtesy Superblue Miami