Flynn Matthews French duo Ella & Pitr handle the gravity of the worldwide refugee crisis in their most recent mural, Le Naufrage de Bienvenu/The Shipwreck of Bienvenu. The gigantic mural reaches over 47 meters (154 feet), scaling the outside of Piney’s Dam at La Valla-En Gier, Rhone-Alpes, France.
Ella & Pitr often highlight failed societal groups like the elderly and displaced by putting them on highly visible urban canvases like snowy hillsides or older airport tarmacs. Their selection of a dam–a massive aquatic blockade–can be interpreted with regard to the swelling catastrophe of homeless individuals crossing the Mediterranean from Africa.
The artists and their staff spent ten times suspended by the dam to fill out the painting. You can follow more of Ella & Pitr’s work on Instagram.
