Artists paint mural to thank healthcare workers in Tijuana

With a 40-meter-long mural on one of the city’s busiest avenues, Tijuana artists are thanking healthcare workers for their heroism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If with a mural we can identify a moment when we turned something negative into something positive, I think it is worth remembering,” said muralist Enrique Chiu, who is leading the effort by artists and other volunteers to honor those who sacrifice every day to help their community.

The mural was painted this week on the outside walls of Clínica Libre, a rehabilitation center on Cuauhtémoc Boulevard, founded 15 years ago.

Figures and images of faceless doctors and nurses stand out in bright colors. Chiu said this will be the first of three murals planned in different parts of the city following the same theme.

“Let’s hope that art really serves to help us cope and adapt to situations no matter how bad and negative they are,” he said.

Artist Enrique Chiu painting on the mural project.

(Alejandro Tamayo/The San Diego Union Tribune)

In 2016, Chiu led the Mural de la Hermandad (Mural of Brotherhood) project, which was joined by other artists, muralists, community members and even celebrities. In that project, Chiu created a large-scale mural on Tijuana’s side of the U.S-Mexico border fence to promote peace and solidarity with immigrant communities.

This time, the health emergency prevented a similar call for the community to help paint the mural.

The mural is located outside the Clinica Libre in Tijuana.

(Alejandro Tamayo/The San Diego Union Tribune)

Tijuana has been one of the most affected cities by the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. As of Friday, there have been 2,048 reported positive cases and 519 deaths.

Alexandra Rubio, a psychologist with the board of directors of Clínica Libre, praised the art project.

“My father is a doctor, my grandfather was a doctor, my uncle is a doctor, and the fact that they can be represented and dignified like this is something that fills my heart,” said Rubio.