Artist Eduardo Srur found CEU Uirapuru to be the perfect place to hold another edition of his "Plastic Nature" project. With the aim of bringing art and environmental awareness to the outskirts of the city of São Paulo, more than 500 primary and secondary school students are taking part in an artistic program that includes lectures, workshops and technology.

By studying works of art history, including famous paintings by Picasso, Van Gogh and Warhol, as well as works by national artists such as Tarsila do Amaral, Portinari and Aldemir Martins, among others, the students are invited to create art using materials that would otherwise be discarded in the environment.

At the end, a group exhibition is organized with the works produced by all the participants.

Since 2014, CEU Uirapuru has been transforming the local landscape with the creation of the Atlantic Forest Grove. With more than a thousand native and fruit trees planted, the ambient temperature is now milder, students and the community are already enjoying the fruits harvested, and many species of birds can be seen among the treetops.

As a benefit, the "Plastic Nature" project will add to the artistic workshops a collective planting of around a hundred new saplings that will be placed on the banks of the Jacarezinho stream, which needs to be cleaned up.

The creative workshops take place from June 3 to 14, after the lectures given by Srur in the unit's theater.

On June 22, the group exhibition will open, alongside some works by artist Eduardo Srur, who will also bring to CEU the "Lotus Flower" installation, inspired by the origami technique and built with more than 30,000 colored pencils used by children in public schools.

In 2022, the work was installed in the Portuguese Language Museum, symbolizing the resurgence of life after the fire that destroyed the building in 2015.

Srur says he was impressed by the welcome from the management team: "Getting to know CEU Uirapuru is like discovering an urban oasis. The teachers' commitment to the area has transformed the reality of this suburb and thousands of children. The name 'Uirapuru', which is a bird and popular legend, inspires an exhibition based on nature and its preservation, despite the difficulties of our time."

Since 2008, the artist has been involved in actions that bring the general public closer to the world of art, opening up opportunities for future generations to explore new possibilities in their lives.

"Natureza Plástica" is produced through PROAC-SP and is sponsored by Vedacit and Burger King.