INTERVIEW
During the Covid-19 epidemic, street artist JR got involved in the fight against poverty. At the microphone of Europe 1, he presented his initiative on Sunday, called Action Refettorio, named after the solidarity restaurant Le Refettorio, located in the crypt of the Madeleine church, in Paris.
The project is supported by many restaurants, which, according to JR, "decided to reopen their kitchens to prepare good meals for people who need them most". The artist and his team collect foodstuffs, notably from mass retailers, such as the Intermarché group. "We received pasta, olive oil, sardines, chocolate eggs for Easter", summarizes the artist, who then delivers these items to the most underprivileged, supported by "a ballet of volunteers".
Nearly 43,000 meals delivered
On the eve of the deconfinement, JR draws a positive assessment of this initiative. "Over the past month, we have delivered 42,800 meals and we have now reached 3,600 baskets per day," he said.
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Why did you embark on such a project? "Because my team was on stand-by and our exhibitions shifted", because of the Covid-19 crisis, replies JR. His team therefore launched an appeal on Instagram to attract restaurateurs, whose activity was also shut down.
See this post on Instagram
3500 meals a day! Video in English and in French !!! @refettorioparis! The team is getting bigger everyday! Additional photos @nico_rct
A publication shared by JR (@jr) on April 30, 2020 at 12:21 PDT
If the artist wanted to help the poorest, it is also because he felt directly concerned by this epidemic. "I had the coronavirus but I was fortunate not to have had many symptoms and that it was behind me," he admits.
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In parallel with Action Refettorio, JR will resume his artistic activity from Monday. "We will continue to offer exhibitions that will arrive after the summer, hoping that they will not be further delayed," he explains, ensuring that the Action Refettorio project will never be far away. "We will surely go and stick [posters] near the Madeleine church to thank all the volunteers all the people who participated in this great adventure," he said. According to him, the project is far from ending, deconfinement or not. "He will continue after confinement. We will not stop on Monday," promises JR.