The “Mural de la Hermandad” is an artistic work that seeks to send a message of hope to those who cross the border and their families.
In 2016, the Mexican Enrique Chiu started the ‘Mural de la Hermandad’ project, which consists of painting the border wall between the United States and Mexico with messages of hope for those who are about to cross the border.
Chiu, who is the only person authorized to paint on this wall, has been joined by thousands of artists, muralists, and community members from around the world to do their bit.
Over the years, Chiu says she has seen firsthand what migrants go through on the fateful journey.
Moving and clearing weeds between ravines and crossings, Chiu encountered migrants waiting for nightfall to cross the border. Chiu invited them to paint on the wall and everyone shared while it was time to leave.
“They had 6-7 days sleeping among the weeds there. And that is ugly, inhuman. We talked with them, we invited them to paint, we exchanged them for lunch, food, water and they painted with us”, she explains.
Contender for the Guinness Book of Records
In 2018, thanks to the ‘Mural de la Hermandad’, Enrique Chiu was a contender for the Guinness Book of Records, as it would be the largest outdoor mural in the world.
In 2019, however, that dream was cut short when former President Donald Trump ordered the wall to be rebuilt, undoing years of work by thousands of artists.
“Hopefully it will,” says Chiu.