OUTSIGHT – Mural by Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada in Laon, France

Street Artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada

“OUTSIGHT” by Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada in Laon, France for Festival Arts Urbains curated by C215.

My goal with this mural is to talk about how children are seeing this world through a mobile phone from such a young age.

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada: My mural in Laon, France was a difficult one to work through. My father was on his deathbed and I had the Atlantic ocean between us. A last minute flight would not have been enough to get to say goodbye in person. The model for this mural is my son Alén. Focusing deeply on his facial features all day made the painting process more profound than usual, as a father´s thoughts raced back and forth from grandson to grandfather, generation to generation to generation…all day, for many days…grateful.

Life can be sublimely beautiful one day and tragic the next. That is the nature of things. All we can do is work to make the best of what comes our way.

The mural exemplifies a childhood spent seeing the world through the symbol of the ‘play’ button. The tones that run across the face encompass many skin tones to depict the universal effects of social media, its algorithms and viral video. My goal with this mural is to talk about how children are seeing this world through a mobile phone from such a young age, as it becomes more evident that parents use the screen as a new pacifier, without considering the effects on a young developing mind. The piece invites us to reflect on this phenomenon and its impact on society.