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A three piece painting by Ben depicting resistance to apartheid |
‘Pick up paint brushes, not knives,’ urges Ben’s mother
THE mother of murdered teenager Ben Kinsella called for young people to “pick up a paint brush instead of a knife” at an art show which included her son’s work.
Debbie Kinsella spoke on Tuesday night at an exhibition of her son’s paintings at the newly opened Copenhagen Youth Project culture centre on Caledonian Road.
Mrs Kinsella said: “Ben has drawn since he was a child and has left some amazing stuff behind. He was always doodling and drawing indoors, he wanted to become a graphic designer.”
His GCSE coursework, some of which was displayed, was good enough to earn him an A* grade.
Mrs Kinsella, a former pupil at Central Foundation School, admitted being keen on art herself when young but said she was never as good as her son. “I’m glad that Ben’s work is inspiring other young people,” she added.
Ben loved many forms of art, from Banksy to Pablo Picasso to William Morris. He was also concerned with injustice. The above triptych painting, which he did at Holloway School, depicts African resistance during the apartheid period.
Holloway Labour councillor Barry Edwards, who attended the event, said: “I think it’s a very impressive body of work for a 16-year-old, it shows what could have been.
“Anything that makes young people see that there’s more to life than hanging around on street corners is a good thing.”
The Copenhagen Youth Project aims to provide opportunities and support for troubled young people in the north King’s Cross area to help them to stay off the streets and return to education and training.
They have been involved in a number of projects designed to keep troubled teens in the area off the streets, included a six-minute film on show at the exhibition. Distraction FC, based on the everyday distractions of 10 young people from the centre, was created in just two days.
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