JR - Migrants, walking New York city skateboard edition
JR skateboard art edition

Limited Edition of 250

Migrants, Walking New York City, New York, USA, 2015,
JR

The installation at Ellis Island featured large archival photographs of immigrants displayed throughout the island’s abandoned hospital. For this project, JR decided to photograph recent immigrants and paste their images on the city’s streets, where they and other immigrants are often invisible. The pasting would be made in the heart of Manhattan, on Flatiron plaza, the triangle of pavement between Fifth Avenue, Broadway and East 23rd Street.

French artist JR photographed 16 people who arrived in New York within the last year and made their portraits while they walked down the streets of NoLIta. JR and his team zeroed in on Elmar Aliyev, a 20-year-old waiter at Old Baku, an Azerbaijani restaurant on Ditmas Avenue in Brooklyn. Elmar immigrated to the United States from Azerbaijan last August after he won the green-card lottery. He likes to walk in Central Park and around the Plaza, locations from his favorite movie, “Home Alone 2.” JR liked the way Aliyev swung his arms when he walked.

Aliyev’s picture was then printed on 62 strips of paper. JR and his 20-person crew took these strips to Flatiron Plaza and began affixing them to the ground at 4 a.m. The pasting took about three and a half hours and resulted in a 150-foot-tall image of Aliyev striding eastward. The sun came up. Pedestrians began to wander over Aliyev. Just as JR had predicted, they often walked right over him without even noticing.

The installation at Ellis Island featured large archival photographs of immigrants displayed throughout the island’s abandoned hospital. For this project, JR decided to photograph recent immigrants and paste their images on the city’s streets, where they and other immigrants are often invisible. The pasting would be made in the heart of Manhattan, on Flatiron plaza, the triangle of pavement between Fifth Avenue, Broadway and East 23rd Street.

French artist JR photographed 16 people who arrived in New York within the last year and made their portraits while they walked down the streets of NoLIta. JR and his team zeroed in on Elmar Aliyev, a 20-year-old waiter at Old Baku, an Azerbaijani restaurant on Ditmas Avenue in Brooklyn. Elmar immigrated to the United States from Azerbaijan last August after he won the green-card lottery. He likes to walk in Central Park and around the Plaza, locations from his favorite movie, “Home Alone 2.” JR liked the way Aliyev swung his arms when he walked.

Aliyev’s picture was then printed on 62 strips of paper. JR and his 20-person crew took these strips to Flatiron Plaza and began affixing them to the ground at 4 a.m. The pasting took about three and a half hours and resulted in a 150-foot-tall image of Aliyev striding eastward. The sun came up. Pedestrians began to wander over Aliyev. Just as JR had predicted, they often walked right over him without even noticing.

The Brooklyn Museum
JR - Migrants, Walking New York City, New York, USA, 2015
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Limited Edition of 250
Produced and numbered by THE SKATEROOM in 2019
Studio Stamped Certificate of Authenticity by the artist

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Set of 5 skateboards
Each deck measures approx. 31x8in (80x20cm)

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Made of 7 ply Grade A Canadian Maple wood
Top-print includes printed artist studio stamp
2 Easyfix wall mount included per deck

Each skate deck measures approximately 31X8IN (80X20CM)

Supported Social Project

Rio’s Favelas get a skatepark

Project by Coletivo Skate Maré

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

SkateMare Skatepark in Brazil social project

Buying guide

“Printed Signature on the deck” refers to the printed signature of the artist included on the top-print. Most decks feature this printed signature, though some specified editions can also feature a hand signed artist signature.

We make a commitment to the social projects we fund: at least 10% of our revenue goes directly to them. Working with our partners, we help empower at-risk youth, build new skateparks and develop education facilities & resource programs. Since 2014, we have generated over $1,500,000 to support social projects around the world.

In 2019, we became a Certified B Corporation. THE SKATEROOM is also CO2 neutral, chooses to source its skateboard wood from certified sustainable forests, and uses water-based ink for its prints.

These editions of artwork are intended for decorative purposes. While you could definitely skate on them if you wanted to, we provide you with one wall mount per deck to hang them on your wall, just like a painting.

We provide you with everything you need to hang your boards up. With your edition purchase you will receive the EasyFix wall mounts. It’s really easy to set up and you can find all the instructions right here. You can always upgrade to the premium SnapDisplay wall mounts.

Our team is also always ready to help if you have any additional questions.

Direct exposure to sunlight might result in discoloration and damage to your editions. To avoid this, we strongly suggest hanging your art-decks away from direct natural light.

You have up to 14 days after receiving your order to request a return. The 14-day return policy is applicable on all products except limited hand-signed editions. We will provide you with a return label to send us back the purchased edition in the same condition as when received, with the original packaging and documentation.

THE SKATEROOM makes art accessible to everyone by delivering WORLDWIDE from our warehouse in Belgium.

We do ship our artwork using UPS EXPRESS for fast delivery. Shipping estimates will be provided in the checkout process, once you enter your delivery address. Typically we process and ship your order within 48 hours (except for editions in pre-orders). You will get a tracking number to follow your shipment. It usually takes 2-5 additional business days to arrive with UPS express, depending on your location.

Please note that some non-EU countries do charge additional customs fees. We recommend you to check with your local authorities.

Thanks to The Brooklyn Museum for making this collaboration possible.

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