The Art in Ad Places project is a beautiful act of 'civil disobedience'

Whether you live in a small town or a huge city, one thing is for sure: you're bound to run into some ads. It seems like, at every corner, we're being sold something or told something. Well, artist Caroline Caldwell and writer/curator RJ Rushmore were fed up with the constant stream of ads where they live — New York City — so they decided to change that. 

"Public space is shared by everybody but only a few rich corporations decide what messages we're exposed to," Caldwell explains. "And a lot of them are incredibly sexist or environmentally damaging, or they encourage unnecessary spending." 

So, in January, they launched a project they're calling Art in Ad Places. Each week, they replace ads in payphone booths and bus stops with art that they've commissioned from 52 artists, each representing a unique background and style. 

"We really need to normalize that, when you look up, you're going to see something wonderful," Caldwell continues. "And I don't think that's normal yet."

Web extra: Below are some of the works displayed across New York City, as part of the Art in Ad Places project.

— Produced by Cora Nijhawan