A Story of Love and Creativity

The story of Jana and Jean Sébastien began in 2005, when they met in Madrid. Jana, who was born in Salzburg, Austria, and Jean Sébastien, who was born in Paris, France, discovered early on that they shared a passion for photography, street art, and documenting urban life. Soon afterwards, they began creating together, and since then they have remained inseparable, both in their personal lives and in their artistic work.

One of the things that distinguishes the duo is the fact that there is no clear division of roles between them. Every idea is born from a shared conversation, every photograph is selected together, and every work is planned and created collaboratively. Even the preparation of the stencils, considered one of the most complex stages of the process, is carried out together. From their perspective, there is no work by Jana or by JS. There is only a work by Jana & JS.

A Camera, a Computer, and Stencils

Every work begins with a camera. During their travels around the world, the two photograph ordinary people living their everyday lives. These may be musicians performing in the street, cyclists, skateboarders, children playing, or passersby captured in a completely natural moment.

After the photograph is taken, a long process of image preparation begins. They break the photograph down into dozens of layers of light and shadow, from which they create an exceptionally precise series of stencils. Each layer adds another detail, and when they are all combined on the wall, the result is a work that looks almost like a black and white photograph. It is a technique that demands patience, precision, and a very high level of planning, and it is one of the reasons their works are instantly recognisable.

Ordinary People Take Centre Stage

Unlike many artists who choose to focus on historical figures, celebrities, or political messages, Jana & JS concentrate on ordinary people. For them, it is precisely the small moments that tell the true story of a city.

A musician on a street corner, a person sitting on a bench, a child playing in a garden, or a cyclist passing by at speed become central figures in their works. They do not offer the viewer a single, definitive message, but invite them to complete the story themselves. The feeling is that of a fleeting moment captured and frozen in time, allowing us to look again at something that would normally pass unnoticed.

Between the Street and the Gallery

Although their career began in the streets, Jana & JS are now widely recognised in the world of contemporary art as well. Their works are displayed in galleries, museums, and international exhibitions, yet they continue to view the street as their most important creative environment.

They do not see a fundamental difference between a concrete wall in public space and a white wall in a gallery. For them, the work remains the same, and it is the encounter with the audience that gives it meaning. This approach allows them to move freely between the two worlds without losing the artistic identity they have built over the years.

Jana & JS in Vienna

In recent years, Vienna has become one of Europe’s most important cities for street art, so it is not surprising that Jana & JS were also invited to create there. Their murals blend naturally into the urban landscape and do not attempt to dominate it. On the contrary, they create a subtle dialogue with the buildings, streets, and people passing through the space.

When standing in front of one of their works in Vienna, it can momentarily seem like an old photograph pasted onto the wall. Only a closer look reveals the dozens of stencil layers and the impressive technical precision. This is one of the reasons their works manage to stop even visitors who are completely unfamiliar with their name.

Why Should You Know Jana & JS?

At a time when much of street art relies on intense colours or direct messages, Jana & JS offer a quiet, sensitive, and human alternative. They prove that even a simple everyday scene can become a moving work of art when it is created through careful observation of people and the spaces in which they live.

The combination of a long lasting relationship, a completely collaborative creative process, and exceptional mastery of stencil techniques has made Jana & JS one of the most important duos in the world of street art.