Haus der Kunst's 'For Children' Rewrites Art History Through Play
The exhibition 'For Children. Art Stories since 1968' at Munich's Haus der Kunst delves into how artists since the late 1960s have viewed children as both audiences and collaborators. Featuring over twenty artists, the show includes Ei Arakawa-Nash, whose installation 'Mega Please Draw Freely' encourages guests to use wax crayons on the museum's marble floor. The exhibition traces its roots to KEKS, a collective established in 1968 at the Munich Art Academy, which opened a children's and youth center in Haus der Kunst in 1972. Other notable works include Basim Magdy's interactive game table 'PINGPINPOOLPONG, or How I Learned to Laugh at Failure', Ernesto Neto's soft fabric piece 'Uni Verso Bebé II Lab', and Olafur Eliasson's LEGO brick installation 'The cubic structural evolution project'. The show is open from July 18, 2025, to May 31, 2026.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled 'For Children. Art Stories since 1968' at Haus der Kunst, Munich.
- Runs from July 18, 2025 to May 31, 2026.
- Features over twenty artists including Ei Arakawa-Nash, Basim Magdy, Ernesto Neto, KOO JEONG A, Olafur Eliasson, Yto Barrada, Emily Floyd, Jan Peter Hammer.
- Ei Arakawa-Nash's 'Mega Please Draw Freely' invites visitors to draw on marble floor with wax crayons.
- Historical starting point is KEKS, a group formed around Munich Art Academy in 1968.
- KEKS created a children's and youth center inside Haus der Kunst in 1972.
- Arakawa-Nash references Jirō Yoshihara's 1956 Gutai action in Ashiya Park.
- Basim Magdy's 'PINGPINPOOLPONG' fuses table tennis with pool and pinball.
- Ernesto Neto's 'Uni Verso Bebé II Lab' is a soft fabric installation for crawling inside.
- KOO JEONG A's 'HAUS DER MAGNET' is a skateable wooden sculpture with photoluminescent paint.
- Olafur Eliasson's 'The cubic structural evolution project' uses 500 kg of LEGO bricks.
- Yto Barrada's 'Lyautey Unit Blocks (Play)' references French colonial history in Morocco.
- Emily Floyd's 'Steiner Rainbow' is a six-meter arch based on Waldorf toy.
- Jan Peter Hammer's 'The Jungle Book' uses hand puppets to critique economics.
Entities
Artists
- Ei Arakawa-Nash
- Basim Magdy
- Ernesto Neto
- KOO JEONG A
- Olafur Eliasson
- Yto Barrada
- Emily Floyd
- Jan Peter Hammer
- Jirō Yoshihara
Institutions
- Haus der Kunst
- Munich Art Academy
- KEKS
- Venice Biennale
- designboom
Locations
- Munich
- Germany
- Ashiya Park
- Casablanca
- Morocco