Francis Alÿs

Francis Alÿs’, Children’s Games exhibition consists of a group of short films that are united in that they all show children from different parts of the world all playing different games. The exhibition captures that although these children come from vastly different lands, from Iraq to Belgium, to Nepal, they all share the inherent trait of play. All of the games that are presented are played by children around the world: hooping, playing at the beach and flying a kite. These games are universal and are variations of games that have been played around the world for many, many years.

Differing from The Eye Museum’s previous exhibition on Andrei Tarkovsky, this exhibition was not set up chronologically but the visitors were rather invited to explore the space and videos as they wish. Visitors are welcome to start from the beginning and walk all the way through to the end of the hall or, if a visitor wants, it is also possible to explore it rather randomly, perhaps in a more curvy way. Lastly, the children’s school chairs that were included in the space invite you to not only sit and watch a video from the perspective that you choose, but they also add to the playfulness and interactivity of the exhibit.

The children in Alÿs’ short films play their games in the surroundings of war-destroyed houses, refugee camps, and dusty cities or some at the beach in Belgium. The tension between childlike innocence and the apparent seriousness of their day to day life is intense and could leave some with a somber feeling; however, the way that Alÿs captures these joyful, childish moments also encourage us to reminisce and look back on our own moments where we played our own childhood games.

The Francis Alÿs exhibition and previous exhibition on Andrei Tarkovsky differed greatly in exhibition design, organization and topic. Although both of these exhibitions were in the same museum hall, the way that the space was used and manipulated was very different in each exhibition. In the Andrei Tarkovsky exhibition, the space was more divided with areas to look at photos, ephemera from his life and films and also his more artistic polaroids. The exhibition also had text on the walls describing the background of the films. Although it was interesting as a visitor to see all this information, it could be overwhelming to some as well turn out to be a very time-consuming exhibit to visit. The Francis Alÿs exhibition, on the other hand, was much easier to digest. The exhibition design only included the screens, which were projected from both sides and the school chairs. With very little information provided or a set chronological path, this exhibition left a lot more exploration and flexibility for the visitor. 

Collaboratively written by Britt, Sofia and Chala