Art for a cause: Brazilian artist paints mural from ashes collected from Amazon fires
Mundano has created a black and white masterpiece on a building in the heart of the city of Sao Paulo to raise awareness of the impact of global warming and denounce the inaction of politicians
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Mundano collected 200 kilograms of ashes from different areas affected by fires to create the mural on a building close to Avenida Paulista, the main avenue running through Brazil's largest city. The ashes came from the Amazon jungle, the Pantanal wetlands, the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado savannah. The work represents Vinicius Curva de Vento, a firefighter that Mundano saw with his own eyes fighting the flames in the Cerrado savanna. At the foot of the firefighter lies a crocodile skeleton and tree trunks. AFP
Mundano hopes his mural will raise awareness among Sao Paulo residents about the vast fires that ravage Brazil's precious ecosphere every year. "No one sees the fires, they're very far away in the Amazon. The idea is to bring the ashes here to the people to create greater empathy," Mundano was quoted as saying by AFP. AFP
The black and white artwork contrasts sharply with the colourful graffiti that adorns many buildings in Sao Paulo. Mundano says he wanted to denounce the inaction of governments to curb deforestation. AFP
Mundano calls the current government led by President Jair Bolsonaro as "negligent" and incapable of protecting the environment. Since Bolsonaro took office in 2019, an average of 10,000 square kilometres of Amazon forest has been destroyed per year, compared to 6,500 square kilometres over the previous decade. AFP
In 2020, fires in the Amazon increased by 16 percent compared to the previous year. According to data from the space agency INPE, 103,000 fires were recorded in the Amazon that year. AFP