Tehachapi: Incarceration, Humanization, and Art by Gabrielle Wylie-Chaney

Tehachapi, Pasting in the courtyard, picture by Jesse Watson, 2019

If you know anything about Incarceration in the United States, it is that we have a large collection of racist laws that were made to unfairly imprison a large number of black and brown people. Growing up in California, I learned a lot about mass incarceration and high-security prisons. The one thing I didn’t get to learn was the individuals’ stories, who they are, and what they care about. A huge part of the problem with Mass Incarceration is the dehumanization of those in prison.

This semester, I have had the brilliant opportunity to take CFA AR 369: Art, Community, and Social Engagement with Professor Ferguson. We discussed an immersive artwork by the French artist JR, who worked with the Tehachapi Facility to make a large piece of art. He created an aerial illusion in the yard, where it appears as though the prisoners are trapped in a pit. He also built an app associated with the artwork, where, on each person’s face, it opens and tells their story. Additionally, he created a backdrop along the inner gate for the prisoners to be able to see the expansive landscape of their central California location.

I love this piece because JR was able to come in a ethically learn about those incarcerated without judgment. He created a socially engaged artwork that is interactive and collaborative with the environment he was new to. This project helped connect families, build confidence with those in the facility, and helped the guards better understand those they are supposed to be caring for. Learn more about it below!

https://www.jr-art.net/projects/tehachapi

“From the prison yard, the final installation image was indiscernible. Yet, from above, it became clear:  incarcerated people, former inmates, the prison staff, and victims stand shoulder to shoulder. The installation, naturally ephemeral, disappeared in three days under the footsteps of the prison's incarcerated population.
To learn more about the project and listen to all the participants' stories, download the free JR:murals app for iPhone, here, and Android, here.

 The project is the subject of an exhibition at Perrotin Paris from August 29 to October 10, 2020.”

Another piece of interactive art! https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/10/13/indigenous-artists-unsanctioned-augmented-reality-exhibition-metropolitan-museum