After a renovation that lasted seven years, the Carré Sainte-Anne in Montpellier reopens to the public, transformed into a living cathedral thanks to a powerful intervention by JR. The French artist, known for his ability to make public space, photography, and collective memory interact, opens this new chapter with Adventice, a monumental installation that merges the power of nature with that of human stories.
It all stems from a simple yet evocative image: that of seeds carried in fabrics from distant lands during the Middle Ages. Seeds that, washed in the Lez River, settled on its banks and gave life to exotic plants, considered “weeds,” but in reality essential for biodiversity. It was precisely from this spontaneous phenomenon that France’s first Botanical Garden was born. A coincidence? Maybe. But also a lesson: what comes from the outside can become nourishment, enrich the soil, change history.
At the center of the nave, JR makes a giant tree grow. A symbolic organism covered with over 10,000 hands, collected from the inhabitants of Montpellier, with more to come. Instead of leaves, these silhouettes bear witness to unique lives, inner migrations, untold stories. The roots, revealed through a play of anamorphosis, tell what often remains unseen: origins, deep connections, the silent strength that holds everything together.
The title of the work, Adventice, comes from the Latin ad venire, meaning “to come from outside.” It is the botanical name for plants that grow without having been sown. The ones that invade, impose themselves, and for that reason are often discarded. But today we know they are indispensable: they nourish the soil, attract pollinators, and keep the ecosystem in balance. JR turns them into a hymn to contamination, the richness of the unexpected, the necessity of the other.
Those who approach the tree can even hear its heart beating. An intimate sound, almost invisible, but deeply human. Until December 7, you can still participate by adding your own hand. A simple, collective gesture, yet full of roots.
