French artist JR has just completed a new installment of his “Wrinkles of the City” project in Istanbul. He first began the series (covered here) in 2008, as an effort to paint a portrait of urbanization around the world. Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is the economic and cultural center of the country. With a population of 14.4 million people, it is also the largest urban agglomeration in Europe – more than 60% of people living there were born out of the city. As an answer to the growing lack of space, buildings are being demolished to make room for the construction of new neighborhoods. JR spent two weeks on top of its roofs and in its streets, installing large scale images of its elder generation, who have shaped and been affected by Istanbul’s population shift. Now their faces, wrinkles and all, become a part of it as well. Take a look at more images of JR’s “Wrinkles of the City” in Istanbul below, courtesy of the artist.
