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June 23, 2023
Grace Ebert More
JR’s Tree of 10,000 Hands Takes Root in a Former Montpellier Church
July 9, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
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Known for his large-scale participatory art projects, French artist JR has embarked on a new project that breathes life into a historic venue. A tree of 10,000 scanned and printed hands has sprouted in Carré Sainte-Anne, a Catholic church built in 1869 in the largely Protestant city of Montpellier as a call for unity. The venue in the south of France became an art center in 1991 and just recently reopened following seven years of renovations.
JR’s exhibition Adventice is the first commission in the revitalized space and takes its name from the Latin “ad venire,” which translates to “come from outside.” In botanical terms, the word often refers to weeds and specimens that spring up where they had not been intentionally planted.
Montpellier’s landscape is a direct result of travelers, trade, and the proliferation of opportunistic plants, according to Carré Sainte-Anne:
When the first drapery mills appeared along the banks of the Lez in the Middle Ages, unidentified flora started growing here and there. Fleece imported from Spain, North Africa, Constantinople, and Smyrna was washed in the waters, releasing these seeds from faraway lands, which grew thanks to the fertile conditions of the Mediterranean river.
Today, French gardens and landscapes pride themselves on the beauty of such diverse species living in harmony.
Always interested in drawing connections between individuals and broader social issues, JR draws on this history and contemporary issues of migration and displacement. Adventice suspends 10,000 hands from people within the local community and includes smaller wall works with similar depictions.
Set among the cavernous neo-Gothic architecture and stained-glass windows, the monumental installation celebrates the multitude of people necessary for an ecosystem to thrive. Each hand is presented as both a leaf and a seed, a sign of life and vitality and the essential component in the tree’s future.
Adventice will be on view through December 7, and visitors can contribute their hands to the work throughout the run of the exhibition.
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May 10, 2024
Grace Ebert More
“The Dreamers” (2019), acrylic on canvas, 230 x 360 centimeters. All images © Marc Padeu, courtesy of Larkin Durey, London, shared with permission
Drawing on Religious Renaissance Art, Marc Padeu’s Paintings Monumentalize the Quotidian
April 3, 2025
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Kate Mothes
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Foregrounding vibrant patterns, swathed in bright fabrics, and illuminated by the sun, the figures in Cameroonian artist Marc Padeu’s paintings are imbued with beguiling gravitas. His large-scale works stem from a fascination with the power of narrative, connecting the Western art historical canon—especially Renaissance titans like Caravaggio—with contemporary experiences of life in Cameroon.
Padeu was trained by the church as a fresco painter. He draws on dramatic biblical stories to juxtapose momentous religious and spiritual accounts with quotidian moments that emphasize Black joy, leisure, family, and fraternity.
“Au baptême 2” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 200 x 300 centimeters
Through the immediacy of acrylic, Padeu renders figures in everyday yet memorable scenes, whether gathered outdoors to relax, witnessing a baptism, or solemnly coexisting amid vivid surroundings.
Many of Padeu’s paintings take inspiration from Renaissance compositions, like “La réunion syndicale,” which bears hints of da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (1495-1498) or Caravaggio’s “The Supper at Emmaus” (1601). Portrayed nearly life-size, the artist’s tableaux immerse us in rites of passage and moments of togetherness.
Find more on the artist’s Instagram.
“La réunion syndicale” (2021), acrylic on canvas, 200 x 280 centimeters
“La bague de Roxane” (2023), acrylic on canvas, 200 x 280 centimeters
“All the light on me” (2021), acrylic on canvas, 200 x 338 centimeters
“La Balançoire 2” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 200 x 230 centimeters
“Au pique-nique” (2022), acrylic on canvas, 220 x 200 centimeters
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September 19, 2023
Kate Mothes More
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June 23, 2023
Grace Ebert More
JR’s Tree of 10,000 Hands Takes Root in a Former Montpellier Church
July 9, 2025
Art
Grace Ebert
Share
Pin
Email
Bookmark
Known for his large-scale participatory art projects, French artist JR has embarked on a new project that breathes life into a historic venue. A tree of 10,000 scanned and printed hands has sprouted in Carré Sainte-Anne, a Catholic church built in 1869 in the largely Protestant city of Montpellier as a call for unity. The venue in the south of France became an art center in 1991 and just recently reopened following seven years of renovations.
JR’s exhibition Adventice is the first commission in the revitalized space and takes its name from the Latin “ad venire,” which translates to “come from outside.” In botanical terms, the word often refers to weeds and specimens that spring up where they had not been intentionally planted.
Montpellier’s landscape is a direct result of travelers, trade, and the proliferation of opportunistic plants, according to Carré Sainte-Anne:
When the first drapery mills appeared along the banks of the Lez in the Middle Ages, unidentified flora started growing here and there. Fleece imported from Spain, North Africa, Constantinople, and Smyrna was washed in the waters, releasing these seeds from faraway lands, which grew thanks to the fertile conditions of the Mediterranean river.
Today, French gardens and landscapes pride themselves on the beauty of such diverse species living in harmony.
Always interested in drawing connections between individuals and broader social issues, JR draws on this history and contemporary issues of migration and displacement. Adventice suspends 10,000 hands from people within the local community and includes smaller wall works with similar depictions.
Set among the cavernous neo-Gothic architecture and stained-glass windows, the monumental installation celebrates the multitude of people necessary for an ecosystem to thrive. Each hand is presented as both a leaf and a seed, a sign of life and vitality and the essential component in the tree’s future.
Adventice will be on view through December 7, and visitors can contribute their hands to the work throughout the run of the exhibition.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.
Hide advertising
Save your favorite articles
Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop
Receive members-only newsletter
Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms
Join us today!
$7/month
$75/year
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