The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the International Exhibition of Contemporary Art, in São Paulo, Brazil, from 28 April to 5 May 2025, through its Art and Nature Chair, hosted by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in Brazil, under the supervision of Professor Sandra Rey.

The exhibition was organized as part of an international symposium held by the University of São Paulo, led by Professor Hugo Fortes, under the theme “HUMUS”, meaning “seeds,” in reference to the concept of natural fertilization and reviving the Earth. The exhibition brought together more than 54 local and international artists, including Sandra Rey and Ana Carolina Ralston, who exhibited artworks that reflect environmental issues, highlighting contemporary questions related to nature, the role of art in raising awareness of climate change and environmental degradation, and the importance of artists’ and intellectuals’ commitment to contributing to protecting the environment through art.

In addition, ICESCO held an international symposium in Porto Alegre, at the invitation of the ICESCO Chair for Art and Nature and with the support of the Goethe-Institut Porto Alegre. The artist and writer Seham Essami, Director of the ICESCO Chair in Berlin, presented a lecture entitled “Encounter and Transfer of Art and Knowledge from East to West,” in the presence of a group of academics, artists, and art students.

It is worth mentioning that this collaboration is part of the partnership between the ICESCO Chair of Art and Nature in Brazil and the ICESCO Chair in Berlin. Their joint work began with the Incertitudes à Gaïa Exhibition, organized at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto Alegre in 2023, with the participation of the Bahraini visual artist, Hala Al Khalifa.