NEW YORK—Last year, Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota contributed to Inside Out, the participatory project created by French artist JR when he won the 2011 Ted Prize. The Native American Lakota tribe posted 13 portraits on the project website in May 2011. The black-and-white images have since landed in New York. JR began pasting mural-sized versions around the city last summer to help spread the group’s story. The most prominent portrait went up last month overlooking The High Line at 27th Street where “Brandon Many Ribs” commands the side of a brick building.
Yesterday, Indian Country Today published an article about a new book, “American Indians and the Mass Media,” which asserts that Indians are beginning to take control of their image. The Inside Out project is all about giving people a voice and an opportunity to decide how to represent themselves.
Check out JR’s blog post about the New York pastings.
Photos by Arts Observer
“Brandon Many Ribs” of Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota.