Blind Date

I usually don’t receive letters in French so my heart started beating a little faster when I noticed the long french email in my mailbox at the end of last winter. It was addressed like „Dear Roth” so it was no mistake, it was sent to me without any doubt, but of course I could not understand a word of it. While I was scrolling down I was thinking where could he saw me, who could be that french guy, in what kind of intriguing ways could he track down my email address to contact, and who can I trust to translate his letter. The daydreaming got burst after ten seconds because there was a short English summary at the end of the letter making it evident that it is not a guy. It is a job. A peculiar kind.

I was approached from Mons, a city that became the European Capital of Culture for one calendar year this year, to participate in a project involving underprivileged children. Actually the fact that I can be among the selected 28 graphic artists of the 28 different EU member countries was flattering enough to accept the assignment (unfortunately vanity is not the only deadly sin that isn’t far from me.) and learning that these kids hardly ever saw books or drawing or painting tools also touched my soul. So I agreed to proceed, although it was an involved story. The concept was that 28 local kids in Mons create pictures about the 28 different foreign countries completely unknown to them and they would send these pictures to the illustrators, who in return shall draw or paint something for the children about Mons. I had some dilemmas about choosing my creative concept. Of course I did not know anything about this city, I should have listened with both ears on the geography class to know that it is in Belgium, I had to Google it. I watched a lot of pictures, read the Wikipedia entries to find something that might inspire me but the more factual information I found the more I felt that it is not going to help me. Mons is an impoverished mining town, a quite plain little Belgian place with a few old Flemish houses, a beautiful main square and with a Muslim immigrant majority constituting more tan 50% of the population. How shall I do this? Finally I put in front of me the photo of two little girls holding the picture of Hungary in their hands and I started painting. A dream city, for them. With a vast romantic sky, with a flower shop and a princess in a hat, next to it a cafe with a man having a coffee and reading the newspapers, one can fantasize that maybe their eye shall meet and they would fall in love with each other. I used so much pink, and light blue that it would qualify for an illustration of any fairytale books and I only smuggled a few existing buildings to the picture and even those are rather hidden. One of my most colorful picture, the richest in details has been created eventually which has hardly any common with the actual reality what these kids would anticipate around them. Still I did not feel that I deceived them, what I painted was exactly what I wish they were perceiving the world to be like in order to be happy in it. The creations of the kids and the illustrators are exhibited in Mons until 27th November, please drop in to visit the exhibition if you happen be around.