Starting June 4, 2026, as part of the “L’Aquila, Italian Capital of Culture” program, the renowned international participatory public art project by French artist JR will get underway in L’Aquila and throughout the earthquake-affected region. More than 2,000 citizens will take center stage in a large-scale collective installation on July 11 in Piazza Duomo.

L’Aquila Joins the Global Inside Out Network — The People’s Art Project, the participatory public art project by French artist JR, which since 2011 has spanned 154 countries, involved more than 500,000 people, and sparked over 3,000 collective actions around the world.

Starting Thursday, June 4, 2026, and throughout the month of June, the project—led by ArtsFor and supported by the City of L’Aquila —will bring its distinctive format to the municipalities of the L’Aquila area and the regions affected by the 2009 earthquake: black-and-white photographic portraits, printed in large format and installed in urban spaces, ultimately coming together to form a large collective artwork on July 11 in Piazza Duomo.

The initiative is part of the “L’Aquila: City and Territory” program, made possible through the ReStart development program, and is one of the most visually striking and participatory events of the entire year as the Italian Capital of Culture.

Who is JR, and what is *Inside Out*?

JR is the French artist—whose identity has been deliberately kept anonymous for years—who is among the most influential figures in the global contemporary public art scene. In 2011, he won the TED Prize, the award that gave rise to Inside Out: an artistic platform open to anyone, anywhere in the world, who wants to tell the story of their community through the faces of the people who live there.

The formula is always the same, in its powerful simplicity: participants are photographed, their portraits are printed in giant format and affixed to urban surfaces—walls, sidewalks, buildings, squares—transforming every city into an open-air art gallery. The result is never mere decoration: it is a record of collective identity.

In L’Aquila, this process takes on additional significance.

L’Aquila and the Crater: 2,000 Faces Telling a Shared Story

More than 2,000 residents of L’Aquila and the areas affected by the earthquake will be invited to play a leading role in the project through meetings, conversations, and discussions, which will lead to the creation of their photographic portraits. The faces—printed in large format, in black and white—will be displayed in Piazza Duomo, creating a collective art installation that will conclude in June.

The statement that guides the entire initiative is clear: “Our community, our history. A shared voice in a collective work.”

“Distances do not separate us, but connect us: they are pathways for human, cultural, and social exchange. Our region is not merely a collection of isolated communities but a unified whole, where every voice matters and every community is part of a shared vision. Being a Capital of Culture means precisely this: recognizing and strengthening a vibrant, inclusive, and self-aware network, capable of looking to the future without losing its deep connection to its roots. In this context, art becomes a space for encounter and collective creation: being a community means participating, contributing, and recognizing oneself as part of a shared history.”

“Through the faces of our citizens, we will tell the story of our identity, the strength of our region, and the journey of rebirth we are currently experiencing. It will be a collective work that belongs to everyone and that will bring L’Aquila and the surrounding areas into an international network of public and participatory art,” said L’Aquila’s mayor, Pierluigi Biondi.

How to Participate

The schedule for the photo shoots is currently being finalized. All dates, locations, and times will be posted in real time on the dynamic calendar and on our official social media channels:

• Instagram @laquila2026
• Instagram @insideoutproject_italia

Residents, local organizations, and cultural institutions are invited to suggest events, useful opportunities, or locations for photo shoots. Calls to action, including all logistical details, will be issued through these same channels for anyone who wishes to participate in the project.

Confirmed events: