Il Gesto
The Wedding at Cana is one of the most iconic paintings in the Louvre. It is also its largest. Painted in Venice in 1563, it depicts the moment when water is transformed into wine—an act of gesture, hospitality, and transformation.
In November 2025, French artist JR and his team set out to reinterpret this composition by working with the guests and team of the Refettorio Paris. Each participant was invited to position themselves in relation to the original painting, then photographed individually and recorded in an audio booth.
The result is Il Gesto, a composite photographic image translated into a monumental tapestry featuring 175 individuals. Like JR’s Chronicles, it brings together a plurality of voices within a single scene.
Rooted in the work of the Refettorio—where meals are prepared by chefs using unsold ingredients and served to people in vulnerable situations—the project reflects a simple principle: treating every guest with dignity.
Il Gesto captures this act. A gesture of cooking, of welcoming, of reaching out—where, through a shared meal, dignity is restored.
More about JR: www.jr-art.net
A PROJECT BY JR
JR TEAM
- Executive Producer
- Marc Azoulay
- Artistic Director
- Quentin Besnard
- Production
- Clémentine Cassard Simon Tavares Da Costa
- Interviewers
- Hélène Ducroux Driss Lumbroso
- Digitech
- Melvyn Bonnaffé
- Digitech assistants
- Remi Desclaux Anthony Parisey
- Behind-The-Scenes Documentarian
- Vincent Lorca
- Translation
- Chiara Pittaluga Clara Corcoran
LOCAL TEAM
- Project Manager
- Chiara Bordin
- Fondation Bonotto
- Giovanni Bonotto Patrizio Peterlini Marco Bianchini Létévé Florentina Isac
- Hotel Venice Venice
- Alessandro Gallo Simone Cherin Blerina Pilkati Martina Giovannini Bianca Bonaldi Alessandro Lana Stefano Soso
The team would like to warmly thank the 175 participants of the mural.
This project would not have been possible without the help of the Bonotto Foundation and the Hotel Venice Venice, together with the collaboration of the City of Venice, represented by Councillor Simone Venturini, Vela Spa, and the Venezia Prossima ODV Association, with the Casa dell’Ospitalità Foundation.
With the active collaboration of JR's studios in Paris, NYC and Geneva, including: Marc Azoulay, Alison Baldo, Julie Bergon, Marco Berrebi, Quentin Besnard, Mauve Chalandon, Laura Da Cunha, Damariz Damken, Lily Granjon, Ashley Hamilton, Soizic Marceau, Camille Pajot, Marie Planel, Camille Rousselet, Jaime Scatena, Élodie Terracciano, Juliet Vauconsant, Marie Wlodarczyk.
JR is represented by Galerie Perrotin, Galleria Continua, PACE, and Nara Roesler.
DIGITAL EDITION
- Co-Production
- Matej Balantic
- Co-Production
- Alan Sternberg
- Digital Mapping & Assets Management
- Jaime Scatena
Tap on a person to listen to their story. You can also move around and zoom.