‘Women Are Heroes’

Arts and Entertainment, second prize singles

2/2/2009

Close-ups of women's eyes adorn the roof of a train passing through Kibera, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. Between 700,000 and 1.2 million people live in poverty in the two square kilometers of shanties in Kibera. Men who have jobs catch the train to work while the women stay at home. The eyes on the train roof are part of the photographer's 'Women are Heroes' project, aimed at highlighting women's pivotal role in society.

Commissioned by: Agence Vu

Photo Credit: JR

JR first garnered international attention at age 27 when he won the TED Prize in 2011, which raised the question, 'Could art change the world?', to which his response was the Inside Out Project, which has since drawn nearly 200,000 participants internationally. His in-your-face black-and-white close-up portraits — pasted on buildings and streets, trains, buildings and monuments — allow locals to have presence and show ownership of their surroundings. He has worked across the globe - in France, the UK, USA, China, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Kenya, India and Cambodia amongst many more. His work has been exhibited at the Centre Pompidou, Paris; Tate Modern, London; the Rencontres d'Arles; and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.