3 Points by Monique Kissel

Paris November 2009

Hello to all of you,

I’m Monique Kissel, about whom Hatto Fischer spoke in his mail.

Excuse me for having taken such a long time before writing to you this first mail. I preferred to read your mails before, and I thank you for welcoming me. And please be kind with my not so good English!

1- The mural:

I cannot say that the mural which was done in Picassos’ studio is one done by the children.

I can say: it’s an adults' mural.

Done from forms extracted from kids’ drawings and paintings, reduced to signs by a computer treatment and organised to become a mural done by adults. It was executed under the control of adults.

Children were just allowed to “paint” some selfish little adds in their right place.

The process on the mural comes mainly from decorative art or design. It transformed the children’s “creative process” into an “execution-work” as their own inventions were processed by computer and adults’ mind.

So we cannot say it’s a painting and we cannot say children created it.

My sense is that interesting job was done before the work on the mural started. It was done by a collaborative team coordinated by Boris Tissot and which included very professional cultural workers. It includes Boris working with the children, insofar as it is based on discussions with the children about war and violence and after which their remarks were written down again by adults and published in the form of an elegant newspaper. Something changed in this process only after Jad Salman , the only painter, had joined the group.

The works on the canvas are linked to previous words formulated in the preparative phase. All are comprised of only in black and white works. These drawings and paintings done by children are truly creative and expressive. Each one made a nice sketchbook.

But, bringing all that onto the canvas, all that was changed in the process.

Why? What happened?

What would have said the giant Picasso who “didn’t search but find?”

Who “had to forget all he learned to recover spontaneity”?

2- the matter is not between Hatto and Boris:

The children were frustrated because they could not paint very freely.

One part of the accompanying adults realized that the children were upset, disappointed and unhappy to see how all this adventure ended so sadly for them.

I tried to provoke a discussion with Boris but any reasonable consensus which seemed possible then, turned out to be short lived.

Students of mine, who are used to working with kids, said that isn’t a kids’ painting. One of them called it “a professional patterned work”

The facts as to what took place in Picasso’s studio were such that they annoyed Hatto Fischer because of his understanding of Kids' Guernica in relation to the meaning of peace. Not for anything else. And I can say that he was really patient in Picasso’s studio. And sad.

Hatto Fischer doesn’t speak for himself alone, and what he says, he does so in a bright perspective, generous way. As a political philosopher he doesn’t stop looking to find a good way to peace. As a human being he knows that the solution must come from the heart.

My opinion is that Hatto Fischer is a precious devoted ambassador and worker for Peace and for Kids Guernica here in France.

3- Kids’ Guernica is a bright and generous commune project

We are honoured to work for it, as Katerina said.

I feel all the works done so far are linked by the same breath of goodness.

What I understand it’s that a K.G. community exits and that each of us have to make it known to the world.

Thank you for inviting me to join this project.

And I shall do my best when giving a course and workshop about Kids' Guernica at Saint Denis University in Paris.

Monique Kissel, Prof.

Maître de Conférences - Université Paris 8 - Département Arts Plastiques.

Le Vannereau. 18240 Santranges - France

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3 Points by Monique Kissel