- A joint work by Iker Muro, Paula Calavera, and Federica Furbelli, it is located on the exterior walls of the school.
- The capital city of Tenerife now has 23 large-format urban art pieces within the project
The exterior of the CEIP Los Verodes of the capital of Tenerife hosts the last mural of the initiative "Immerse yourself in Santa Cruz" of Fundación Cepsa, which merges for the first time the work of artists Federica Furbelli, Paula Calavera, and Iker Muro, and the collaboration of the students of the school. A project supported by the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, through the Organismo Autónomo de Cultura.
This new large-format urban art piece involves the school's 140 students, aged between three and twelve, who have not only inspired the artists to design the sketch with their drawings, but are also taking part this week in the actual creation of the mural, by age groups and in different time slots.
The project coordinator, Iker Muro, also explained that the starting point for the design were "drawings provided by all the students to create a fun and colorful piece that could reflect the children's own way of expressing themselves." To this end, he said, "among the three artists we are integrating different graphic and plastic resources into the work, typical of the spontaneity and ingenuity that their age gives them.
He also added that "this experience has gone further and has generated a laboratory of creative experience for children, who are also participating in the development of the lower part of the mural, allowing them access to a new format for them."
The head of Fundación Cepsa in the Canary Islands, Belén Machado, emphasizes that with this mural "we seek to promote the integration of the Los Verodes school in the neighborhood, giving it visibility and highlighting its great contribution to the environment." "The school's involvement in this initiative has been unbeatable. Its management and the entire team are committed to achieving improvements for a school located in a space that has many unique qualities due to its location."
"We wanted to add social participation to this artistic initiative, on this occasion through the students and teachers of the school, and the experience has been really positive. Not only will they have a work of art on their façade, but every day, when they enter the school, they will remember that they have been part of it through their own experience, so they will value it even more," added the head of Fundación Cepsa.
For her part, the third deputy mayor and councilor of Culture of the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Gladis de León, expressed her satisfaction with the fact that the capital will have a new mural, in this case on the facade of a school in the Los Gladiolos neighborhood. "The city will thus have a new display of urban art, thanks to the initiative of Fundación Cepsa, which enriches our heritage by creating an authentic open-air exhibition with its Sumérgete en Santa Cruz project." He also thanked the teachers and students of Los Verodes school for their active involvement in the realization of this mural, which "benefits the whole neighborhood."
The director of CEIP Los Verodes, Carmen Trujillo, said that, prior to the creation of the mural, they organized an activity in which the children used drawings to reflect on the mural they wanted in their school, "for which we not only involved them, but also their families and the educational community itself," she noted. This initiative is "very positive because it gives life to the school, changes its image, and highlights its presence in the neighborhood. It is an important boost that will give visibility to this educational center, so that citizens become aware of its existence and respect the presence of both boys and girls and their families," he added.
A consolidated project, which already comprises 23 murals
"Immerse yourself in Santa Cruz" has become established as a pioneering initiative on the island in terms of outdoor art exhibitions. With this latest addition, the murals created now total 23 and are a hallmark of the capital of Tenerife.
The initiative, promoted by Fundación Cepsa, aims to bring residents closer to artistic activity and improve the aesthetics of different locations, working on walls and facades lacking aesthetics or in a state of neglect.
The art direction of the new mural of Sumérgete en Santa Cruz is headed up by graphic designer and illustrator Iker Muro. His involvement in graffiti and muralism, initially in a carefree way as a creative outlet, and later turned into a profession, has made his art present in many countries, as well as in countless national locations. His experience as a graphic designer marks his most current work, between abstract and figurative, with geometric abstraction and pure colors as some of the aspects that identify him.
The two artists who have joined the latest piece in CEIP Los Verodes, both graduated in Fine Arts from the University of La Laguna, also have had an outstanding career that has also led them to participate in various national and international mural projects. For her part, Paula Calavera has focused her career on studying painting itself and on the concept of intimacy, claiming values such as female empowerment.
Federica Furbelli's production is influenced by the interest in treating small visions of nature from different parts of the world, analyzing landscapes, customs, and traditions. She also uses an intuitive pictorial process of recovery of reality in which, through instability, she creates another truth in the collective imagination, guided by sensitivity, in a context of constant construction and destruction of what has already been created.