John Hamon Explained

John Hamon
Nationality:French
Field:Posters
Works:John Hamon poster

John Hamon (born 1982)[1] is a French street artist known for posting his image on buildings across Paris. 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").[2]

Posters

Hamon began postering the image of his identity card photograph on Parisian walls in 2001.[3] [4] The image itself was taken in 2000, when Hamon was an eighteen-year-old high-school student.[3] 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] In April 2019 he projected his image onto the Eiffel Tower.[9] 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.[10] He was released without charge.[10]

The image is the basis of all his published works to date.[3]

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.[3] 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

Notes and References

  1. News: Personne à Lyon n'a jamais vu John Hamon... à part Joris Couronnet . french . https://web.archive.org/web/20181219202531/https://www.leprogres.fr/rhone-69-edition-lyon-metropole/2018/12/19/personne-a-lyon-n-a-jamais-vu-john-hamon-personne-a-part-joris-couronnet-photographe-lyonnais . 19 December 2018 . 19 December 2018 . live . . No-one in Lyon has ever seen John Hamon... apart from Joris Couronnet . 20 May 2019.
  2. Web site: Eric . Le Mitouard . 14 November 2016 . 14 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161114193323/http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75005/cet-illustre-inconnu-s-affiche-dans-les-rues-de-paris-depuis-15-ans-14-11-2016-6328224.php . 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 . live . . 20 May 2019.
  3. live . 18 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190319144034/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/25/a-kilroy-in-paris . Leo . 20 May 2019 . A Kilroy in Paris . Mirani . . 19 March 2019.
  4. Web site: 21 May 2019 . french . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170802185735/http://manifesto-21.com/mais-qui-est-john-hamon-rencontre . 26 July 2017 . Mais Qui Est John Hamon? Rencontre . 2 August 2017 . But Who Is John Hamon? Meet . Elora . Weill-Engerer . Manifesto XXI.
  5. Web site: live . Gairaud . https://web.archive.org/web/20190520142453/http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/paris-on-a-rencontre-john-hamon-13-05-2018-7713561.php . Paris: On a rencontré John Hamon . Paris: We met John Harmon . french . Marie-Anne . 13 May 2018 . 20 May 2019 . LeParisien.fr.
  6. Web site: Merci Handy And French Artist John Hamon Transform Eiffel Tower Into A Unicorn . https://web.archive.org/web/20190521133902/https://www.thespainsider.com/articles/merci-handy-and-french-artist-john-hamon-transform-eiffel-tower-into-a-unicorn . 21 May 2019 . 21 May 2019 . Kamala . Kirk . 9 April 2019. live . The Spa Insider.
  7. Web site: 16 April 2019 . Julien . LeBonBon.fr . 20 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190416143017/https://www.lebonbon.fr/paris/pop-culture/rencontre-john-hamon-interview/ . Rencontre avec John Hamon. Meeting John Hamon . 3 April 2018 . live . Carrance .
  8. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190521143314/https://www.fisheyemagazine.fr/rdv/cest-dans-le-mag/john-hamon-tete-daffiche/rdv/cest-dans-le-mag/john-hamon-tete-daffiche/ . Fisheye magazine . John Hamon, tête d'affiche . 21 May 2019 . John Hamon, Poster Face . 10 January 2017 . 22 . french . 21 May 2019.
  9. Web site: . 8 April 2019 . Champion de la provoc, l'artiste John Hamon se projette en licorne sur la tour Eiffel . french . https://web.archive.org/web/20190408205234/https://www.20minutes.fr/paris/2491799-20190408-champion-provoc-artiste-john-hamon-projette-licorne-tour-eiffel . Champion of the provocative: the artist John Hamon projects unicorn on the Eiffel Tower . live . 8 April 2019 . 20 May 2019 .
  10. Web site: live . 13 April 2019 . 20 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190413223934/https://www.20minutes.fr/paris/1963339-20161117-paris-john-hamon-visage-inconnu-plus-connu-capitale-souhaite-interpeller-societe . . french . 17 November 2016 . 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".
  11. Web site: Transgressive Self-Promotion by John Hamon . 18 May 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180303185320/http://www.fubiz.net/en/2018/02/28/transgressive-self-promotion-by-john-hamon. Fubiz.net . 3 March 2018 . 27 May 2019.
  12. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20190521140312/https://www.compulsivecontents.com/detail-event/the-mysterious-face-of-paris/ . The Mysterious Face Of Paris . Compulsive Contents . 21 May 2019 . live . Edd . Norval . 22 June 2018.
  13. Web site: french . live . Clément . https://web.archive.org/web/20190521141510/https://www.anousparis.fr/a-savoir/6-choses-a-savoir-sur-lincontournable-john-hamon/ . 21 May 2019 . 6 choses à savoir sur l'incontournable John Hamon . 2018 . 6 things to know about the inescapable John Harmon . Arbrun . ANousParis.fr . 21 May 2019.
  14. Web site: LaRéclame.fr . 6 June 2018 . B. . https://web.archive.org/web/20190521144531/https://lareclame.fr/palmares-chatonsdor-2018-200725 . live . french . Le palmarès des Chatons d'Or 2018 . 21 May 2019 . Thomas . 21 May 2019.