The latest version of Houston’s most widely seen public art/public forum.
Credit: Marie D. De Jesús/Staff photographer
Chandrika Metivier considers themselves fearless.
Two weeks ago, Metivier was taking a personal safety risk on a bridge above I-45, painting the words ‘No War Know Peace’ in protest of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine where the infamous “Be Someone” graffiti lived for years.
This is the third time the mid-twenty-year-old made the risky decision to change the sign and hopes that by claiming their name to the alteration, along with their recent viral TikTok moment, the Houston-based multidisciplinary artist will control the direction their artistic career will go.
“There’s probably no other way I wanted to emerge into the public eye,” Metivier said. “There have been opportunities to go in a very corporate industry route.”
“I never wanted that.”
Metivier has always been interested in grassroots organizing and calls to action, one of the reasons they first changed the ‘Be Someone’ graffiti to read ‘Vote or Die’ before the 2020 presidential election.
“I really just wanted to empower people to vote,” Metivier said. “I wanted it to be as neutral as possible but also enough to spark conversation. Something about using that slogan, which was coined by Diddy, gets the conversation going. And that’s exactly what happened.”
Metivier said they are fully aware of the risks of vandalizing the bridge. According to the Houston Police Department, the city does have a graffiti ordinance that treats the crime as a misdemeanor if the damage is less than $500, and a felony if damages are more than $500. A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department said that the legality of the ‘Be Someone’ bridge graffiti is tricky because the railway is owned by Union Pacific. The Chronicle reached out to Union Pacific about the graffiti but did not receive a response.
Aside from the legal ramifications, it’s also dangerous, from the painting process to getting there in the first place. “There’s like a two foot gap where the highway is. So you could fall,” Metivier said.
For Metivier, the point of painting messages like “No War Know Peace” is to make a difference.
“There have been times when there have been meaningless messages on the bridge,” Metivier said. “So I’m like, I’m gonna get my message up there because no one else is going to go up there and do it.”
The bridge in question is near where I live – I’ve driven under it a million times. In case you missed it, here’s Vote or Die from 2020. The original “Be Someone” message, which had been there for a long time and which was restored after the 2020 election, has been moved to a new location after being vandalized one time too many. You can see the artist’s Instagram post about the current message. I’m still hoping to read a story about how they get up their and actually do the painting. It’s obviously not for the faint of heart. Whatever the case, I salute you, Chandrika Metivier. Thank you for making Houston a more visually interesting and engaging place.