No Barriers Dismantle Themselves: JDL Paints “Outside In” – In Rome

Artist JDL has created an enormous split image of the same person in Rome, and the message is one of celebration and acceptance.

JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo © Benedetto Antonio Colombo)

In a city known for its reverence of so-called classical beauty, this beauty is looking in the mirror and seeing someone who others may not. She’s “looking into a frame, as a mirror, seeing her reflection as a man,” says JDL.

“It is designed to create an emotional understanding in the process of acceptance of persons in the LGBT+ movement.”

JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo © Benedetto Antonio Colombo)

Part of Yourban2030, organizers say it is the first green mural dedicated to the LGBTQ+ movement, with mixed materials – where the last layer of paint (airlite) is actively displacing enough pollution to equal the same amount produced by 52 cars per day.

JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo © Benedetto Antonio Colombo)

Together with the team, JDL has created an iconic image of the LGBTQ+ world, Andrea Berardicurti, a larger than life figure who passed away in 2018 and who was also known as Karl Du Pigne.

JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. Detail. 12-2020 (photo JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo © Judith de Leeuw)
JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. Detail. 12-2020 (photo JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo © Judith de Leeuw)
JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. Detail. 12-2020 (photo JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo © Judith de Leeuw)
JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo © Davide Fracassi for Il Messengaro)
JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo JDL. Inside In – For the LGBT Movement. Rome. 12-2020 (photo © Judith de Leeuw)

Here’s the euronews video on YouTube where a lot of hateful comments were added towards the LGBT+ community, a time-honored tradition that still hangs on:


This mural was done in collaboration with Yourban2030 and with the support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Circolo Mario Mieli, and Vladimir luxuria.

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