Afghan Boy Called 'Little Picasso' Shows Works in Serbia

 

A 10-year-old refugee known for his artistic ability has held his first art show and donated all the money raised to a sick Serbian boy.

Farhad Nouri has been called “the little Picasso” for his pictures and photographs. The Associated Press reported that examples of his work were shown in Belgrade.

The boy has lived at a crowded migrant camp in the Serbian capital with his parents and two younger brothers for the past eight months.

His family was forced to flee conflict and poverty in their home country of Afghanistan two years ago. They traveled through Greece and Turkey before arriving in Serbia.

The boy's gift for art was recognized when he was taking language and painting training programs in Belgrade. Local aid groups organized the classes for refugees and migrants.

"We quickly realized how talented he (Nouri) was and sent him to a painting school as well as a three-month photography workshop,” said Edin Sinanovic. “So this is a retrospective of what he learned there."

Sinanovic is with the Refugees Foundation, a non-government organization (NGO).

Among Nouri's works shown on the grounds of a Belgrade cafe were his drawings of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Harry Potter. His photos mostly include images from around the city.

In addition to holding his first art show, "Farhad wanted to help someone,” Sinanovic said. So he chose to give any money raised to a six-year-old Serbian boy who needs money for his treatment after brain cancer.

Nouri said he wanted to help someone else as well to show how important it is to be good to other people.

"We all need kindness," he said.

The boy dreams of one day moving to Switzerland to become a painter and a photographer.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

migrant – n. a person who moves from place to place in an effort to find work

workshop – n. a brief educational program for a relatively small group of people

retrospective – n. a show or performance of works of an artist over a period of time

drawing – n. a picture or image made with a pencil, pen or other writing instrument