News Art Blog

“What does it look like to you?” asked the Boston Fox News affiliate on its Facebook page in regards to a mural (shown above) by the Brazilian street artists Os Gêmeos erected in Dewey Square. Responses soon flooded in calling the masked figure a “terrorist,” a “Muslim,” and much more racially worse. Some (including a piece in The Boston Globe) accuse the Fox affiliate of stirring up racial tensions for ratings, while others decry the mural (titled The Giant of Boston) as an insensitive image for an American audience and particularly the Boston people, who remember that the 9/11 flights took off from their city. Racism, exploitation, insensitivity—all these are in the eye of the beholder. But the real questions might be what does this mural look like to you, and what does your answer mean? Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "What Does This Mural Look Like to You?"