Creator of the world’s largest participatory art project, French artist JR made his second U.S. west coast debut in Oakland, last Thursday, for his project Inside Out.

JR, whose real identity is unconfirmed, calls himself an artist, a “photograffeur,” or sometimes an “urban artivist.”  His art focuses on social justice as well as the ideas and social messages of the people.
The Inside Out project is a global outside installation of large-format portraits of a country’s, or community’s people. These portraits serve as a means of self expression, an idea, experience or movement that its participant would like to share with the world. For the United States, the project is nationally titled “Inside Out 11m.”

“The project that he’s doing is about showing all the many faces that live in the United States. And for us in the immigrant community that means really owning it and showing the 11 million undocumented immigrants that are in this country,” said Favianna Rodriguez, Oakland based artist, cultural organizer and an Inside Out 11m collaborator.

After accepting the TED Prize for 2011 in Long Beach, Calif., JR was given $100,000 to start the Inside Out project in hopes of “changing the world.”

His project now spans to 108 countries all over the world. He currently has 201,000 followers on Instagram and uses his social media for advocacy and to showcase Inside Out projects around the world. This week, 267 Oakland community members came together through word of mouth, Instagram posts, or simply out of curiosity, while walking by 2323 Broadway Avenue.

“There are over a thousand deportations every single day and so we need to make the community visible,” said Rodriguez in regards to the United States.

Black and white large-format portraits lined the outside walls of the future office of the Oakland HUB. These 267 large-format portraits were pasted on the wall using a glue paste. There are only a few rules to these portraits, both eyes must be shown and not covered by sunglasses, humans only, no animals and no nudity.  Over time weather will slowly deteriorate these portraits.

The project in Oakland specifically  is also about, “making a statement against the criminalization of black and immigrant communities because there is profiteering on the jailing of black men and on immigrants and black women,” said Rodriguez.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 41 percent of male prisoners are Latino while 29 percent are African American. Incarcerated women statistics state,  32 percent of female prisoners are Latino while 28 percent are African American women.

“What we are facing is a national problem and so I think that art is a way to heal and it’s also a way to reclaim our dignity,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriquez previously collaborated with JR in Washington D.C with the Inside Out team to gather dreamers, documenters and youth to be featured on the wall.

Starting as a graffiti artist to documentary photographer, JR utilizes a photobooth truck, laser printer and team to carry out his project in each country. For the Inside Out 11m project, portraits use a gradient black polka dot background. This design is carried out on the Inside Out team’s shirts as well. The pattern makes the project recognizable across the country.

Before participants step into the photo booth, Inside Out volunteers register and archive a snapshot of each person. Participants sign their first and last name as well as provide an email so that their portrait is archived and viewable on the Inside Out 11m website. After JR visits each selected city in the U.S, all portraits around the nation will be viewable online, categorized by cities.
Participants were asked to document their experience through Instagram using hashtags “#insideout11m” and “#pathways2justice.”

The Inside Out 11m project ran from 12p.m.-6p.m. Pasting the images extended past 6p.m. and paralleled the time in which the second event, a discussion called “#Pathways2justice,” was being held at 1423 Broadway Avenue.

The Inside Out team raced against the clock, which ran past the time of the event.  Hany Attia, who is familiar with JR’s work, stayed to help, while others came and quickly left leaving their portraits in a pile on the asphalt waiting to be pasted.
“I’ve known about JR for a long time,” said participant Attia. “I was in Palestine in about 2007 and he had a project there along the West Bank. I’ve just been following his work since then. Kind of keeping track of where he’s been and going. I heard he was in Oakland today so I came here right after work.”
Attia is referring to an art installation JR had in Palestine called “Face 2 Face” which inspired the creation of Inside Out.
“An Inside Out team member spilled a bucket over there and he’s been here all day, so I just figured instead of just leaving and giving up might as well go up myself and just do it,” said Attia.
He climbed the ladder in his medical scrubs with a bucket of paste and a brush, pasting his image and his wife’s side by side.

Last May, HBO featured the documentary, “Inside Out: The People’s Art Project” which also premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The documentary didn’t focus on the artist but rather the project itself and how each country differs in using images to fight for social causes.

Every country’s Inside Out project differs. In Perth, Australia their theme is “Reconciliation and Equality” and in Otranto, Italy their project’s theme is “A Tribute to Authencity”.

“I think it’s amazing,” said Adam Springer, a California College of the Arts student. “I think JR can bring the community together in a simple way, doing just profile photography, he really captures each city’s essence through each installation he does.”

The west coast truck first premiered in Sacramento on Wednesday July 24th, Oakland July 25th and San Francisco July 31st.