JR turns Amsterdam Inside Out during the Unseen Photo Fair

Sep 12, 2013 | by Ciaran | Art, Event

About the author

The name's Ciaran, a 27-year-old guy who loves the idea of a discovery, even if it actually isn't one. Among many other Sherlock Holmes adventures, searching for art and music is what keeps me going. High Five!

There are a few artists out there that everyone should know about, or at least have heard of at some point in time. And I don’t mean Picasso, Van Gogh or Warhol, but artists that are still alive and kicking. Take Banksy for example, Damien Hirst, Richard Serra and Shepard Fairey. But there is another name, also deriving from the scene of ‘street art’, which you should definitely get to know if you haven’t done so already. That name, is JR.

What made JR famous (for me at least), pushed hard against the limits of what is politically possible. Back in 2007, he produced the biggest illegal exhibition ever, right along the border between Palestine and Israel. On either side of the Separation Wall he posted huge portraits of Israelis and Palestinians, bringing both sides “Face 2 Face”.

You get a chance to take part and contribute your own portrait along with over 150,000 others around the world.

I could go on about this inspiring man for ages, but you can read more about him for yourself. It just so happens that JR is working on fulfilling his wish to create the world’s largest collaborated art project, Inside Out. During this year’s Unseen Photo Fair, you get a chance to take part and contribute your own portrait along with over 150,000 others around the world that have done so before you.

So here’s what you do: get your ass over to Unseen (which you should do anyway, because last year I fell in love with numerous works of art there) and take part! There is a special photo booth truck in which you get your portrait taken. It’s then printed out for you and the fair is your canvas: a brick wall outside somewhere, inside the Gashouder, on the street, you name it. Ok? Deal!