When 14-year-old Bua paints the world, she can see bright colors, cotton-ball trees, bunnies and birds – not the HIV with which she was born.
Bua’s paintings, along with a few other HIV-infected Thai children’s, are on display at three Boulder cafes this month as part of a global fundraising exhibition called “Paint My Life.”
The paintings have been brought to Colorado by Monica D’Onofrio, a Longmont native living in Bangkok.
“Art is a universal language,” said D’Onofrio, the founder of Global Art for Aid. “It gives these kids a chance to express themselves in a way spoken words cannot.”
For Bua, painting is her only solace, D’Onofrio said. The girl’s mother died of AIDS six years ago, and last year, Bua dropped out of school after being shunned by classmates.
The girl began painting in an art-therapy program funded by several international aid agencies, including UNICEF. While some of her paintings are bright and hopeful, Bua also paints a darker side – such as a giant, staring eye with a red background.
“In Thai society, HIV still carries a social stigma,” D’Onofrio said.
About 24,000 Thai children were living with HIV in 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
Funds raised from the sale of the paintings go directly to the children and their families for medical treatment or education. But D’Onofrio said “having their paintings hang in someone else’s home makes these kids feel that someone else understands them and accepts them.”
The paintings are on display through the end of the month at The Tea Spot, 1801 13th St.; the Pekoe Sip House, 1225 Alpine Ave.; and Sidney’s Cappuccino and Art Bar, 1375 Walnut St.
A reception will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at the Tea Spot, D’Onofrio said.
For more information, go to www.gaaid.org.
