Artist Interview | Some days ago, I stumbled upon the fantastic telephone interview with famous photographer, urban artist, political activist and the 2011 TED Prize winner JR, TED did with him in October 2010. It seems like I totally missed it back then… However, JR talks about his “28 Millimetres Project”, how it started, why he did it, what reactions he tried to cause with it and why “Women Are Heroes”…
JR embodies the many characteristics TED looks for in a winner: creativity, vision, leadership, and persuasion. His work is not just stunning. It is innovative, using collaborative storytelling techniques, which move the art of photography in a new and exciting direction. His work is about unlocking the power of possibility, revealing our true selves to those who live around us and then sharing those stories far and wide.
JR attracts loyalty and respect from both his subjects, his friends and volunteers who help him mount all of his exhibitions. The scale of his work is huge, not just the size of each individual portrait, or the amount of space each exhibition covers in one place, but the number of communities and countries each project involves. (TED)
The interview is a brilliant documentation of JR’s works, which can be found for example in Abu Dhabi or in Shanghai, and for that reason it should also be part of this blog.