THE CHRONICLES OF NAPLES

For the eighth edition in the Chronicles series, JR chose Naples. This marks the first installation of its kind in Italy, carried out with the patronage of the City of Naples.

In September 2024, JR began a deep exploration of Naples’ complex cultural identity. Over the course of one week, from September 23 to 29, residents from seven neighborhoods took center stage: Piazza Sanità, Piazza Dante, Fuorigrotta, Mergellina, San Giovanni a Teduccio, Piazza Cavour and Borgo Sant'Antonio Abate.

During this intense period, portraits and stories of 606 Neapolitans from diverse social and cultural backgrounds were collected, capturing the essence of Naples through its vibrant street life. If the project had been done a week earlier or later, it would have been entirely different. It is made of the people who were there, at that moment.

The result is a monumental photographic collage on the façade of the Duomo, which is also narrated in its composition in an exhibition at the Gallerie d’Italia. The exhibition also showcases three murals from the Chronicles series, created in France (Chroniques de Clichy-Montfermeil), Cuba (Las Crónicas de Cuba), and the USA (The Gun Chronicles: A Story of America), demonstrating how the series can capture a powerful visual and foster conversations at the scale of a neighborhood, a whole country, or around a social issue.

JR's site-specific work was unveiled on the facade of Naples' Duomo on May 21st, 2025, transforming the cathedral into a mosaic of local faces, embodying the community spirit, resilience, energy, and multifaceted soul of the city. It will remain on view until October 5th, 2025 at Duomo di Napoli, Via Duomo 147.

Explore the mural and listen to the participant's stories.