Tallahassee, Florida USA January 2010

For the 15th anniversary of Kids' Guernica, Prof. Tom Anderson had prepared for an exhibition and an Art Symposium about "Art for Social Justice" as special catalogue.

The Kids' Guernica exhibition took place in Tallahassee, Florida, USA, January 2010

http://www.insea.europe.ufg.ac.at/news/KIDS%27_Guernica_2009_FSU_exhibition_catalog.pdf

Post-script:

When two copies of the catalogue had arrived, I had to pick up the package from the post office located in a special district of Athens. It is one of the so-called hot spots near Omonia square. The area has all the inherent contradictions most appropriate in reference to social justice. It is an area where there are many migrant workers turn up during the day as street vendors on the sidewalks while drug dealers mingle with the crowd passing by. In other words, the area has something more than the usual mix of small shops and cafes so typical for Athens and Greece.

And then, just in front of the post office, there was this bald headed young man. He was just in the process of injecting himself something with a needle into his veins.

He sat on the pavement, outside the post office, and tried to pin point the needle into his vein running through his arm. It took him some time. He could not aim exactly and had to repeat several times before he finally managed.

No one seemed bothered.

Nearby one man was loading the truck of the post office with parcels. Others walked by and pretended not to see. At the next street corner, some members of the mobile policemen unit were just standing around. They had their motorbikes parked nearby.

Across the street rose up against the skyline of the city the newly renovated national theatre. Its distinguished red stone front contrasted well with the glass wall used to link the old with the new building. Employees were gathered outside to have a smoke. Their black blouses reflected in the glass.

Inside the post office you could see the many desperate people waiting for hours to take their turn. I was more fortunate since I was to receive a parcel and that meant going up to the first floor. There the many postal sendings stored in multiple shelves were handled by three people. All of them took their time.

A woman customer was shouting at them for not releasing a television set. She had no full proof
that she was the legal recipient and tried to talk her way out of the problem.

Then a man suddenly rushed in and murmured something about having parked his car illegally and begged everyone waiting in line to let him go first.

When I left, the drug addict was up on his feet and about to cross the street to disappear in the noisy traffic heading towards Omonia Square.

hf 13.7.2010

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Tallahassee, Florida USA January 2010