Kids Guernica – Official opening Guernica, 1937, Picasso’s masterpiece, is a huge painting that denounces war and portrays a world in distress. To mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Kids Guernica was launched in Japan in 1995. The works were designed to resemble Picasso’s canvas (2.60 x 6.60m). In this artistic and collective project, the participants develop their imagination while confronting it with today’s reality. To date, over 300 canvases have been painted all over the world. Kids Guernica in Geneva is the creation of 14 canvases by local schoolchildren, ESBI students, young adults and migrants, accompanied by artists, institutions and socio-cultural associations. They have thought, created and dreamed using the universal and personal language of graphic expression. While history moves forward, astonishing and astounding us, they have seen the world as a place for dialogue, offering signs against forgetfulness and messages of peace.
The paintings were created by: Les écoles primaires d’Ami-Argand (Versoix), d’Anières, de Belvédère (Chêne-Bougeries), des Charmilles │ Les cycles de Cayla, la Golette │ L’école de culture générale Henry-Dunant │ Les collèges de Candolle, d’André Chavanne │ L’école supérieure de bande dessinée et d’illustration (ESBDI) │ L’Institut Florimont │ La Maison Quartier des Eaux-vives │ La Brigade d’utilité publique de l’Association pour le Patrimoine Industriel (API) │ l’Association médiatrices interculturelles (AMIC).
With the support of the artists: François Burland, Paul Jenni, JMK, Isabelle Pralong, Léa Roth, Scala, Tom Tirabosco.
Production – administration: Association Rivages
Realisation : Collectif Kids Guernica Genève: Véronique Philippe Gache, Françoise Nydegger, Paul Jenni, Philippe Clerc et Thierry Ruffieux (coordinators), Boris Tissot for Kids Guernica International
Contact and information: Association Rivages, Espace51 et University of Geneva