JR's "Women Are Heroes" Cargo Ship Saved 213 Immigrants at Sea

JR's art has been a part of some pretty incredible events this year.

Image via jr on Instagram

We didn't include JR in this year's Most Important Artists of 2014 list, but recent events are making us rethink that decision. During the "Millions March NYC" protest, the artist's image of Eric Garner's eyes was front and center, as were images of the eyes of other victims of protest brutality. The artist also had a pretty important installation open on Ellis Island, and now, according to the Wall Street Journal, another one of JR's works was involved in a pretty spectacular event off the coast of Asia.

The 1,200-foot Magellan CMA CGM cargo ship, on which JR installed the finale to his "Women Are Heroes" series this summer, was leaving Malaysia where it unloading the shipping containers bearing the artist's work. On it's way home, the crew was asked to rescue 213 refugees who were stranded on a fishing boat leaving Libya for Greece. Any ship not connected to JR could have been asked to save the immigrants, but the fact that the heroic deed was carried out on JR's vessel and relates so closely to the artist's "Unframed – Ellis Island" project is pretty incredible.

[via WSJ]

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