Thursday 28th March 2024,
Post-Soviet Graffiti

TED Talk: Art Can Change the Way That We See the World

JR Street Art. Paris, France.

“There are layers. Behind each photo – each image – there’s a story.” – JR

JR, a French street artist and the winner of a prestigious TED award in March 2011 recently gave a TED Talk on the power of street art in ushering in social and political change. JR creates photo-pasted murals in war-torn and ethnically violent communities to share the basic tenant of the contact hypothesis, which theorizes that: controlled communication between conflictual groups will force both sides to recognize aspects of themselves in the other, thus reducing unsupported prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, and violence.

JR’s enormous works of public art in Israel/ Palestine, Brazil, Sudan, Liberia, Kenya, and elsewhere force viewers to recognize the social ills, victims, and unexpected similarities within their communities.

[ted id=1085]

Check out JR’s political street art project at: insideoutproject.net.

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3 Comments

  1. Ashley Fixler May 27, 2011 at 5:47 pm

    This video is interesting. I love your website!! And you!!!

  2. Saulo March 17, 2013 at 10:33 am

    dude none of that is graffiti it is art. It just hepapns it is painted on a wall.When i shit on a wall does that make it graffiti?Some times people mix media. It hepapns. It is just a jedi mind trick.Graffiti is spray paint and markers. Yeah and guess what there are some exceptions to that rule I hope that is not a new idea.

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