Carl Cash is a veritable icon. The Afro-European artist has a huge following among young people on social networks, as well as among art lovers. His paintings are snapped up in Europe and the rest of the world. This year, he was a member of the Red Bull Doodle Art jury.
This autumn, the artist has chosen to become involved in a particularly unexpected collaboration. “Education makes a real difference, not only for young people but also for their families and those around them. If I can help make education more accessible by offering one of my works, I will not hesitate.”
Carl has created the world’s first “Class Photo” for VIA Don Bosco! This is a unique work created by 50 hands! His own, of course, but also those of 24 boys and girls aged between 14 and 18: 17 pupils from the Saint Jean Bosco vocational school in Cotonou and 7 from the Don Bosco institute in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.
At the beginning of October, Carl embarked on a journey that took him from Belgium to Benin and from Benin back to Belgium. It was a way of affirming that the cause of education knows no borders and is universal. In both Cotonou and Woluwe, Carl took on the role of “teacher”, with the aim of teaching these young people how to paint their self-portrait.
“It wasn’t easy at first,” said Carl, “because most of these young people had never painted or drawn before. So I started by giving them a few tips on how to paint a portrait. I was blown away by the enthusiasm, good humour and determination of these girls and boys. Incredibly, they all chose yellow as their universal skin colour! At the end of the workshop, I was in awe of the progress they had made and the quality of their work. Such talent! Such energy! I don’t think I’ll ever forget those moments.”
Carl reworked these self-portraits to give them the personal style that characterises his art. He then assembled them into a monumental polyptych, the world’s first “Class Photo”. The result is a work in the purest Cash style, but one that reflects the aspirations and dreams of these 24 girls and boys. Dreams that ultimately are very similar.
