John Hamon

John Hamon (born 1982)[1] is a French street artist known for posting his image on buildings across Paris.[2] Since 2001, he has affixed and projected the image of his identity card photo onto monuments in 33 countries and 77 cities. He describes his motivation as "C'est la promotion qui fait l'artiste ou le degré zéro de l'art" ("It's the promotion that makes the artist or the zero degree of art").[3]

John Hamon
John Hamon posters near the Champs-Elysées
Born1982 (age 38–39)
NationalityFrench
Known forPosters
Notable work
John Hamon poster
Movement

Posters

Hamon began postering the image of his identity card photograph on Parisian walls in 2001.[2][4] The image itself was taken in 2000, when Hamon was an eighteen-year-old high-school student.[2] Later Hamon projected the image on notable buildings (Palais de Tokyo, Palais-Royal and Bibliothèque nationale de France) and monuments (Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe).[5][6] Hamon has displayed the image on monuments across the world – such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa[5][7] – in 33 countries and 77 cities.[8][9] In April 2019 he projected his image onto the Eiffel Tower.[10] For the most part, Hamon has acted as a guerilla artist postering without permission; he was once arrested for attempting to project onto Notre-Dame de Paris.[9] He was released without charge.[9]

The image is the basis of all his published works to date.[2]

"John Hamon" posters
  • By the Eiffel Tower
  • By a Metro station, Paris

Criticism

Fubiz.net describes Hamon's works and performances as "amusing, and thought-provoking on the importance of promotion in modern art".[11] Leo Mirani of The New Yorker describes Hamon as a 21st-century Kilroy.[2] Journalist Edd Norval, describes Hamon as a man "presenting the ultimate parody", "making the art world the subject of the joke".[12] Les Inrockuptibles' Clément Arbrun, writing for A Nous Paris, sees Hamon as an "omni-present enigma" and likens him to Amélie Poulain, treating his original photo as an example of one of Duchamps ReadyMades, reusing the same image like Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans.[13]

Awards and honours
  • Chaton D'Or – 2018 – Prix du projet artistique (Artistic project prize)[14]

References
  1. "Personne à Lyon n'a jamais vu John Hamon... à part Joris Couronnet" [No-one in Lyon has ever seen John Hamon... apart from Joris Couronnet]. Le Progrès (in French). 19 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. Mirani, Leo (18 March 2019). "A Kilroy in Paris". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  3. Le Mitouard, Eric (14 November 2016). "John Hamon: cet illustre inconnu qui s'affiche dans les rues de Paris depuis 15 ans" [John Hamon: This illustrious stranger appears in the streets of Paris for 15 years]. LeParisien.fr. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  4. Weill-Engerer, Elora (26 July 2017). "Mais Qui Est John Hamon? Rencontre" [But Who Is John Hamon? Meet]. Manifesto XXI (in French). Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  5. Gairaud, Marie-Anne (13 May 2018). "Paris: On a rencontré John Hamon" [Paris: We met John Harmon]. LeParisien.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 20 May 2019.
  6. Kirk, Kamala (9 April 2019). "Merci Handy And French Artist John Hamon Transform Eiffel Tower Into A Unicorn". The Spa Insider. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  7. Carrance, Julien (3 April 2018). "Rencontre avec John Hamon" [Meeting John Hamon]. LeBonBon.fr. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  8. "John Hamon, tête d'affiche" [John Hamon, Poster Face]. Fisheye magazine (in French). No. 22. 10 January 2017. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  9. "Paris: John Hamon, le visage inconnu le plus connu de la capitale souhaite «interpeller la société»" [Paris: John Hamon, the most famous unknown face of the capital wants to "challenge society"]. 20Minutes.fr (in French). 17 November 2016. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  10. "Champion de la provoc, l'artiste John Hamon se projette en licorne sur la tour Eiffel" [Champion of the provocative: the artist John Hamon projects unicorn on the Eiffel Tower]. 20Minutes.fr (in French). 8 April 2019. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  11. "Transgressive Self-Promotion by John Hamon". Fubiz.net. 18 May 2019. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  12. Norval, Edd (22 June 2018). "The Mysterious Face Of Paris". Compulsive Contents. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019.
  13. Arbrun, Clément (2018). "6 choses à savoir sur l'incontournable John Hamon" [6 things to know about the inescapable John Harmon]. ANousParis.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  14. B., Thomas (6 June 2018). "Le palmarès des Chatons d'Or 2018". LaRéclame.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
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