JR's Inside Out Project to Transform L'Aquila with 2,000 Portraits

French street artist JR's Inside Out Project, the world's largest participatory art initiative launched in 2011 during a TED Talk, will arrive in L'Aquila during its year as Italian Capital of Culture in 2026. The project, led by ArtsFor, will involve over 2,000 citizens from L'Aquila and surrounding areas who will be photographed and have their black-and-white portraits installed as large-scale paste-ups on public spaces. The initiative, accompanied by the motto 'Siamo comunità' (We are community), aims to strengthen social cohesion and highlight the city's rebirth after the 2009 earthquake. Mayor Pierluigi Biondi stated that the project embodies the Capital of Culture's principle of putting people and community at the center. The Inside Out Project has previously conducted 2,600 collective actions in 152 countries, including Milan and Padua in Italy, collecting over 500,000 portraits. The L'Aquila installation aligns with the ReStart development program, which emphasizes culture as a tool for social cohesion, enhancement of internal areas, and civic participation.