IRDO: Opening of a YAFE Mural Entitled Birds from the Island in Maribor

On the occasion of Europe Day, 9 May, when peace and unity in Europe is celebrated, a mural was opened on the wall of the Secondary School for Design Maribor (SŠOM), in the Youth Park 8 in Maribor, Slovenia.

The mural was created as part of the international project YAFE – Youth Art for the Earth. The author of the painting is a street artist and academic painter and pedagogue, Fedja Šičarov, M.Sc., helped by students of the SŠOM. The mural was created in April and May 2024, and before that, the students from SŠOM concluded three-day workshops on the topic of environmental sustainability and street art. The workshops took place from 6 to 20 March 2024 and were organized by the Institute for the Development of Social Responsibility (IRDO) in cooperation with the SŠOM.

Fedja Šičarov drew inspiration for the painting from the famous Maribor Island, the largest river island in Slovenia, where many birds nest.

“The depiction of four species of birds (lotion, great woodpecker, white-necked flycatcher and common kestrel: Carduelis carduelis, Dendrocopos major, Ficedula albicollis, Falco tinnunculus) in four artistic styles is not accidental, but rather reflects a thoughtful juxtaposition of different historical periods in art and design, which at the same time outlined a strong human impact on the environment,” said Fedja Šičarov, adding: “The chronologically followed by Art Nouveau (the beginning of the industrial age), constructivism (intensive industrialization), pop art (consumer culture) and post-Internet art (digital pollution). By intertwining anthropocentric rather than anthropocentric visual elements, Mural also serves as a classical didactic agent on the wall of secondary school, as it daily encourages young people to think about human impact on the environment.”

Nadja Jager Popović, principal of the Secondary School for Design Maribor, commented at the opening of the mural:

“It has always been street art that attracts views, forces you to think, admire, to express positive and negative criticism. It is the expression, message of an individual or group primarily intended for the random passer-by. Participation in the YAFE project for students, SŠOM mentors and participating partners was an extremely beautiful and interesting experience related to sustainability, while at the same time it was enriched with that part of art that young people adore. With such workshops and participation, forbidden becomes permitted and meaningful.”

The international project YAFE – Youth Art for the Earth is co-created by partners from three countries (Slovenia, Serbia, France) with the aim of involving young people in the articulation of messages and co-creating murals on social responsibility and environmental sustainability.

YAFE aims to improve the capacity to co-create attractive street art that promotes inclusion and environmental sustainability. The project is co-financed by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme and the Republic of Slovenia – Ministry of Public Administration and the Ministry of Culture.

The partners of the YAFE project are: Nobulo and Urban Art Paris, France, Fund B92, Serbia, and IRDO – Institute for the Development of Social Responsibility, Slovenia.

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