Inside Out 11M Public Art Project Hits Miami

11M draws attention to the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. through a participatory art project.

By Von Diaz Sep 03, 2013

After winning the 2011 TED Prize, French street artist JR launched the Inside Out Project with the goal of creating a global participatory art project with the "potential to change the world."  Each installment of Inside Out is site-specific, addressing current issues in that country such as LGBT rights in Germany, and orphans with HIV/AIDS in South Africa.

The U.S. installment of the project, titled "Inside Out 11 M," launched this summer and draws attention to the 11 million undocumented immigrants who remain in legal limbo awaiting comprehensive immigration reform.  Since July, a mobile photo booth has been traveling the country capturing individual portraits, which are then transformed into public art installations. Inside Out mirrors JR’s signature style of larger than life black-and-white photograph wheat paste posters that often take up entire buildings or are placed in unexpected locations. 

The project completed its Miami Beach installment over the weekend on the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College, which once served as an immigration processing point for refugees fleeing Cuba.  More than 600 people showed up to participate in the Miami edition in solidarity with immigrant rights. 

The mobile photo booth will continue traveling to cities across the U.S. through the end of September.