Tree of Hands by JR blooms in Montpellier’s Carré Sainte-Anne
After seven years of restoration, the Carré Sainte-Anne in Montpellier reopens with a major new commission by JR, a participatory, large-scale tree installation titled Adventice. Unfolding within the nave of the neo-Gothic former church, the project transforms the historic site into a living artwork composed of 10,000 scanned hands from people across the world. Assembled into the form of a tree, the hands stretch toward the vaulted ceilings, forming a symbol of rootedness, migration, and collective identity.
In botanical terms, ‘adventice’ refers to plants that appear where they were not intentionally planted, often labeled as weeds. The exhibition reclaims this term to describe those presences that arrive uninvited but prove essential in the context of nature, cities, and communities. The massive tree of hands suspended inside the Carré Sainte-Anne captures this idea, with each hand representing an individual story and together forming a single, interconnected structure that grows with each new visitor. Additional hands can be scanned on-site and added to the artwork, allowing the installation to evolve throughout the exhibition’s run, which continues until December 7th, 2025.
Adventice exhibition view, Carré Sainte-Anne, Montpellier, 2025 | images © JR, unless stated otherwise
Adventice Connects Local Soil to Global Stories
With Adventice, French artist JR draws on a lesser-known chapter of Montpellier’s history, the arrival of foreign seeds through the medieval textile trade. Wool brought from Spain, North Africa, Constantinople, and Izmir was washed in the Lez river, unintentionally releasing seeds that took root along its banks. These plants, though not native, adapted and gradually transformed the landscape, contributing to the biodiversity of the region. The installation uses this ecological phenomenon as a metaphor for cultural exchange and migration, highlighting how external influences have helped shape Montpellier’s identity.
In addition to the central installation, Adventice features five new works in wood and paper that expand on the exhibition’s themes. These sculptural pieces, on view for the first time, extend JR’s language of human connection into more intimate material expressions.
a living artwork composed of 10,000 scanned hands from people across the world
he hands stretch toward the vaulted ceilings
a symbol of rootedness, migration, and collective identity
each hand represents an individual story
JR under the tree | image by Christophe Ruiz, Montpellier Ville et Métropole
Adventice features five new works by JR in wood and paper
Adventice, #1, Bois, 2025 © JR
these sculptural pieces are on view for the first time
extending JR’s language of human connection
project info:
name: Adventice
location: Carré Sainte-Anne, Montpellier, France
dates: June 27th – December 7th, 2025
curator: Numa Hambursin
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