In recent times Chile has been a country in turmoil, to put it mildly. A rise in public transport fares in October 2019 triggered a student uprising in the capital Santiago. It was soon backed by the majority of the population, as millions came out of their homes to call for an end to the increasing inequality and cost of living, and to demand good and affordable social services like education and healthcare. The daily demonstrations and riots in every city lasted for months on end, until they were suddenly discontinued in March 2020: the Coronavirus pandemic had reached South America and started to engulf the country, emptying its streets every bit as quickly as they had filled six months earlier.

Had fate decreed otherwise, the protests would surely have culminated towards April 26, 2020, when a referendum was to decide whether or not to start the process of changing the constitution.⁠¹ The current constitution still has its roots in the US-backed military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, whose hardcore capitalist policies – based on the neoliberal ideology of Milton Friedman – have been in effect until the present day and now more than ever visibly fail the majority of Chileans.

At some point during the protests, the military stepped in with force. In the skirmishes, many lost their eyesight due to the use of rubber bullets, and dozens lost their lives. Shops went out of business or were barricaded with metal plates in order not to be damaged by furious protesters and hungry looters who did not benefit from the rudimentary social system.

With a few notable exceptions, there is hardly any street art and there are not many tags in the streets of Chilean cities. But the walls of public spaces throughout the country are packed with political graffiti and slogans. They read like pamphlets and manifestos pleading for a revolution, demanding change to relieve economic pressure from the shoulders of the working class. Often they denounce police and military brutality, as well as femicide. They also frequently call for president Sebastián Piñera to be locked up in prison or even to be assassinated for crimes against humanity.

Since the end of March, 2020, not only are public gatherings and demonstrations banned, universities – which could be perceived as the epicentres of the social uprising – are closed. With the pandemic as justification, the government conveniently imposed a nationwide curfew from 10pm till 5am. Writing on walls used to take place primarily at night time, but during the civil unrest it could be observed also in broad daylight on the main squares and the surrounding streets, as graffiteras acted under the protection of the massive numbers of people turning up to support the change. Now these opportunities have become rare.

Moreover, municipalities and major supermarkets have used this period of partial lockdowns to erase many of the messages on their buildings. Arguably, the political slogans not only helped to communicate goals, they also gave a voice to those who live in despair and cheered on the ones who risk their freedom and livelihood in the struggle to achieve a better world for us and our kids.

As these possibilities had been ripped away, we decided to offer a wall of my own house in Valdivia, which miraculously had not yet seen a single mark of graffiti. We invited both grown-ups and children to restore messages that elsewhere had been removed. The mural we created is not beautiful, but it is heartfelt. Chile does not need beautiful or witty street art. Many of its people are so fed up and oppressed, they just need a valve to release the pressure that is weighing down on them.

The mural was created by Milo, Dani, Cami, Blanca, Eloisa, Robert, Ruben, Monyrem, Franck, Mati, Pipe, Fer, Pingui, Miguel, Clau, Caiozzama, and Jan. Inspired by the streets of Valdivia, the people of Chile, Void Projects Home Mural Fest, and the Coronavirus pandemic.

All photographs courtesy of ©VGBild/Jan Vormann. Valdivia, Chile, April 2020.