Street art emerges in Sao Paulo from the ashes of the burning Amazon

São Paulo, October 17 (BUS): From Ashes to Art.

Brazilian artist Mundano used ash from the burning Amazon rainforest to create a street mural in São Paulo of a firefighter standing amid deforestation, fires and dead animals.

“I am using evidence of the crime,” Mondano said, describing the 1,000-square-meter (10,000-square-foot) artwork on the side of a building as a work of “craft.”

Mondano traveled more than 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) through Brazil in June and July, collecting ash from the Amazon rainforest, the Pantanal wetland, the tropical Cerrado savannah and the Atlantic forest, according to Reuters.

He also met with firefighters and volunteers to hear their stories.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has struggled to make good on his pledge to eradicate illegal deforestation in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, as his calls for more farming and mining have encouraged illegal loggers.

In August alone, satellites recorded 28,060 fires in the Brazilian Amazon, a vital bulwark against climate change due to the massive amount of carbon dioxide absorbed and stored by plant life, and deforestation increased in September compared to last year.

“This mural is a protest, a cry for distress,” Mondano said. “I support the fire brigades and also to stop this culture of fire, it is leading us to self-destruction.”

HF