Last week America bid a fond farewell to "The Colbert Report," Stephen Colbert's masterful pièce de résistance ... or so we thought. The Comedy Central show's finale aired on December 18, yet for those who rightfully pledge their allegiance to Colbert nation, rest assured, he is watching over us.
Just to clarify, we mean that very literally, thanks to an installation by French street artist JR. On the finale, Colbert unveiled the newly installed piece, located on the rooftop of the show's New York studio. It consists of Stephen's truly gigantic eyeball, which he dubbed "super-giganto roof vision."
Screenshot via Comedy Central
"Now, thanks to JR, there will always be a little something special here on top of my studio to catch your eye -- specifically, my eye," Colbert explained when introducing the city's newest work of street art. "I just wanted to leave you, the nation, my watchful gaze. Also, I wanted to freak out people stuck in a holding pattern over LaGuardia."
JR's recent art endeavors include "Women Are Heroes," pasting portraits of local women, "who play an essential role in society but who are the primary victims of war , crime, rape and political or religious fanaticism," all around their native favelas. His "Unframed - Ellis Island" adorned an abandoned Ellis Island hospitals with the images of hospitalized immigrants. Needless to say, the Colbert ode has been one of the artist's most selfless artistic endeavors.
Screenshot via Comedy Central
There was one other point of artistic note during the show, in which Colbert might have let it slip that he, in fact, is the notoriously anonymous street artist Banksy. When lauding the artist greatness of JR, he was all: "he could even be the next me" while a Banksy image appeared on screen. He then quickly added: "I mean Banksy -- ooh, shit. Whoever Banksy is."
Nice save, Stephen. We'll be watching you. Watch the episode in its entirety below.
via Huffington Post Arts and Culture
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