Congratulations to French street artist JR on winning the 2011 TEDPrize! The TED Blog announced his win:

JR, a moving and innovative artist who exhibits freely in the world’s streets, has been named the recipient of the 2011 TED Prize — an award granting $100,000 and something much bigger: a wish to change the world with the support of the TED community.

JR represents a new chapter in the TED Prize. While a seemingly unconventional recipient, his work matches the creativity and innovative spirit of TED’s community, and his art inspires people to view the world differently –- and want to change it for the better.

JR is creates what might be called “pervasive art.” Working with a team of volunteers in various urban environments, he mounts enormous black-and-white photo canvases that spread on the buildings of the slums around Paris, on the walls in the Middle East, on broken bridges in Africa, and across the favelas of Brazil. These images become part of the local landscape and capture people’s attention and imagination around the world.

In Rio, he turned hillsides into dramatic visual landscape by applying images to the facades of favela homes. In Kenya, for his project “Women Are Heroes,” he turned Kibera into a stunning gallery of local faces...And in Israel and Palestine, he mounted photos of a rabbi, imam and priest on walls across the region –- including the wall separating Israel from the West Bank.

JR remains anonymous -– never showing his full face, revealing his name, or explaining his huge portraits –- to allow for an encounter between the subject and passers-by.

In honor JR's award, we've put together a selection of images from his work throughout the years. For many more images, please visit JR's website directly. Additionally, a large archive of his videos are available at Dailymotion.

PORTRAIT OF A GENERATION

Pasting on the walls of Les Bosquets ghetto, Montfermeil (93) - 2004 (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Portrait of a Generation) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

20th district, Paris - 2006 (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Portrait of a Generation) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

Exhibition in the heart of Paris - 2006 (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Portrait of a Generation) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

FACE 2 FACE

Separation wall / security fence, Israeli side, Abou Dis, Jerusalem - March 2007 (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Face 2 Face) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

Wall on the Palestinian Side, after Bethlehem Check point (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Face 2 Face) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

WOMEN ARE HEROES

28 Millimetres: Women Are Heroes in Kibera Slum - Kenya. January 2009 (via JR-Art.net: Overview) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

Bo, Sierra Leone (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Women) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

Overview at night time: Favela Morro Da Providencia, Rio de Janeiro - August 2008. (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Women) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

WRINKLES IN THE CITY

Carthagene, Spain (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Wrinkles in the City) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

Cityhall, Carthagena - Spain. Project Los Surcos de la Ciudad (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Wrinkles in the City) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

Shanghai, China (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Wrinkles in the City) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

Shanghai, China (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Wrinkles in the City) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

UNFRAMED

Grottaglie, Italy (via JR-Art.net: Projects: Unframed) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY

Vevey, Switzerland [Unframed] (via JR-Art.net: Photo of the Day) © JR - credits: BasilicStudio // aKkY