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Jad Salman - Kids' Guernica action in Picasso's Atelier
Mural done by Boris Tissot with children Paris 2009
Jad Salman and Boris Tissot Paris 2007
Jad Salman joined this action in Picasso's Guernica. It was organized by artist / curator at Centre Pompidou Boris Tissot. Since this meant taking charge, the mural was realized with professional artists / graphic designers. They had not understood the free spirit of Kids' Guernica nor did they embrace Picasso's saying that children are much freer in their imagination. Instead the fear of doing something wrong in this famous atelier made them become afraid the children could do make mistakes. The only one who could show them that there is a difference between art following a prescribed path and art becoming free to express true aspirations of mankind, that was Jad Salman. He came as an artist to Picasso's Atelier and did his best to give to the children this sense of freedom.
Picasso's atelier - floor where he painted 'Guernica'
Marie Claude with the children, Jad Salman in the background
The children were doing most of the time only sketches as they were not allowed to paint on the canvas itself. Instead the canvas was covered by a blue plastic sheet as if to prevent something!
But children love freedom, colours, explorations of the world with their imagination and not just paint symbols as to what is to be seen when adults evoke such terms as war and peace.
Jad Salman with Juliette Tissot beside him
Just pondering what to do with this situation meant for Jad Salman a difficult choice. For how to be helpful while objecting to what was being done not only with the canvas, but with the children. Those who had joined Boris Tissot did not seem to understand. Of interest is that he had asked his daughter Juliette to come along and to record what was happening. She was herself highly motivated by Kids' Guernica when she went with her father to Nepal in 2000 and there took part in a Kids' Guernica workshop. When she returned from there, she was convinced everything must be done to further the Right to Education for children in that part of the world, and in particular for girls.
On the last day, the children were allowed to use colors, but only for this one rainbow to be seen on the official canvas.
Jad Salman helping the children to mix colours.
Mural which the children painted by themselves and gave it to Jad Salman as a 'gift' of thanks.
About the discussion on "children's artworks? or not" by Jad Salman
"To me, the best thing is to compare the two paintings done in Picasso's studio. All is contained in the important formal differences. The one done by children is like a clear source flowing directly from the children's heart, mind and fingers. So simple and significant!
The other has a great level of organisation and composition. It is much, much more elaborated. The process of more and more elaborations is the educational process.
That takes a long time and long training to bring a young child into a man’s world within an extremely elaborated mind.
But the fact is that during this process, often many things become so complicated that the source is lost, forgotten.
Let us remember that to achieve great poetry, art (so did Mister Picasso-"I had to forgot all I learned") mystical experiences and great wisdom are required. All around the world, time and time again, men and women had to train and work hard to find and reach again the spring, the origin.
And the great simplicity.
In front of that simplicity of childhood in the painting, often, adults are disappointed. Even, some develop simpering tenderness or light sensation of selfish superiority.
In a child's design, as in a Chan's master painting, simplicity is full of emptiness.
That emptiness disappoints. In such a design or a painting that emptiness is generically speaking emptiness: from where all comes from, and to which all will return to – nothing: it is less than life and death while life itself is a process.
If we leave children all over the world express themselves only up to that point, then it shows to what extent we are willing to take the risk to see in their painting simple and true emotions: fear, joy, friendship, sadness, love- simple relationships - as mirrors of our heart. Friends: pets, birds, flowers - boys and girls alone, altogether in that big space of the painting.
We do take the risk to learn from them who we are deep inside.
A child' painting is quite a pure expression rather than Art.
That is why it seems important to keep Kids Guernica children's painting out of artistic and aesthetic evaluations or judgements.
Paintings by adults and professionals engaged in Kids’ Guernica can follow and has another purpose."
Jad Salman
Paris 2009
« Kids' Guernica / ECCM Symposium Athens 2007 | 'Les Fauves ont faim' - exhibition at Weekend Gallery, Berlin Sept. 2012 »