The hills have eyes - and the Borders on Charing Cross does too!
Through my foggy slow-vodka induced haze I see these massive eyes, as large as a hut, they are hovering in front of me. Shining and clear, like the imagined water-mirror on a hot desert road.
These eyes are there to haunt, to follow me in my complacency. They are not a Fata Morgana, not an illusion of my deteriorating mind. They are the eyes of old women, young girls, of children and teens alike. Shot in the worlds most desolate regions and ghettos, and they are watching.
In the video installation that is running in the Charing Cross gallery accompanying the show, a women exclaims: 'The eyes of the hill are open'. The hill she is refering to is Providencia, a favela in Rio de Janeiro that everyone outside would like to not only ignore, but rather a pretend that it never existed. That is, until JR the young French photographer showed up, now the hills have eyes - eyes that are open and looking. They are looking straight at you!
The eyes, images and videos are part of JR's exhibition (currently to be seen at 8 Greek Street, 121 Charing Cross Road and the entirety of Manette Street) a project entitled '28 Millimetres: WOMEN', a show that cannot be ignored, it is not colouring by numbers, not ego-tripping of the eccentric artiste. It is a shout, a scream, a plight: demanding your attention!