Tijuana, Mexico - As the Trump administration seeks $18 billion over the next decade to more than double the length of the US-Mexico border fencing, one artist has another plan for the barriers.
Mexican artist Enrique Chiu is working to cover the existing border wall in colorful murals. He started producing murals on the Mexican side of the wall in December 2016. Since then, with the help of community volunteers, he has painted 1.3 miles of works on border fencing in Tijuana, Mexico.
Enrique Chiu, who has worked as an artist for 18 years, has painted over 80 murals in 10 cities across California, Mexico, and Guatemala. He sees this project, which he calls the "Mural of Brotherhood," as "a way to unite the two nations that are divided."
To paint on the Mexico side, Chiu gained permission from his country's border security department. He hopes to eventually make it a binational project, and paint on the U.S. side too.
"There has always been a border united by the border cities. If the interest was to maintain peace in the world, [the Trump administration] would promote education and equality in the US, not violence and racism," Chiu said.
Chiu considers himself an advocate for migrant and immigration rights. The murals are meant to "leave a positive message to support Latino people," he said. "They're also intended as a form of protest against the border wall that the Trump administration wishes to build," he added.
This year, Chiu will also install a 50-foot-tall sculpture that represents peace at the US-Mexico border.
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