MONTREAL -- Philadelphia might be the City of Brotherly Love, but a new Montreal mural illustrates the city's own special sibling bonds.
The piece, which was masterminded by artist Dana Brissonnet, derived some inspiration from the street it's located on: Atataken, which means brother and sister in the Mohawk language Kanienkehaka.
“There's so many stories about this relationship and I felt it was important to talk about duality and the absurdity of life,” said Brissonet.
Rather than reflecting an idealized, perfectly harmonious version of the sibling relationship, the piece represents the interconnectedness and rivalries that often exist.
To get her message across, Brissonnet recruited local kids to help in the mural's creation.
“The new generation will be the one that has hope of bringing something new and different to the world. That's why I love having kids,” she said.
Brissonnet has murals up around the world, including pieces in New Orleans, Puerto Rico, France and Morocco. Each time, she has recruited local youth.
“They bring this image and symbolism of home in my murals,” she said. “I feel like I'm also passing on knowledge, which feels really good.”
The piece was commissioned by Montreal street art organization Milmurs.
“Art and arts form a sort of large family,” said Milmurs' spokesperson Barbara Renault. “It doesn't mater where you come from or what you do.”
The organization is trying to make art accessible to all people around the world. As part of that goal, they'll soon bring Quebec artists to make murals in France and Martinique and hopefully bring some of those country's artists back here in return.
“It's about democratizing art. Artists bring their own stories and experiences to life.”
