French photographer and street artist JR has been turning art inside out. To him, the street is “the largest art gallery in the world” and that’s where he chooses to exhibit. His work mixes art and action, discussing commitment, freedom, identity and limit.

He started out in Paris, watching street life from the Parisian rooftops. His fascination with street life drove him to tour the rest of Europe in pursuit of other street art, discovering people who communicate messages via walls.

In 2011, he received the Ted Prize, offering him the opportunity to make ‘A wish to change the world.’ In response, JR told Ted, its audience and whoever else in the world would listen that “I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we’ll turn the world…INSIDE OUT.”

And so ‘InsideOut’ was born – a large-scale participatory art project.  It gives people the opportunity to use a photo of themselves to express a cause or a statement they wish to stand for. The digitally uploaded images are then printed into posters and sent back to the project’s co-creators for them to exhibit in their own communities. These photographic portraits are used to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world.

As part of the project, giant Inside Out Photobooths have been touring at various locations around the world. This has enabled the public to print off their pictures instantly and free of charge.

To find out more and get involved, visit the Inside/Out Project website.