For Children: Art Stories since 1968

What motivates artists worldwide to create artworks for children? What does it mean to be a child today? Is childhood a closed chapter or a state of being? Haus der Kunst explores these questions with the group exhibition “For Children. Art Stories since 1968”. The exhibition is based on several years of research, and brings together works by over twenty international artists that have been created specifically for a young audience since the late 1960s. Visitors of all ages are invited to enter into a dialogue with contemporary art and with each other, to rethink today’s understanding of childhood.

The group exhibition unfolds across multiple areas of Haus der Kunst, extending all the way to the terrace facing the Eisbach. There, a sculpture by KOO JEONG A invites visitors to skate, while Ei Arakawa-Nash calls on everyone to draw on the floor of the Mittelhalle. In the Archiv Galerie, the happening-like actions of the KEKS group are presented – a collective that formed in 1968 in the context of the Munich Art Academy. The presentation includes previously unpublished materials and marks the historical starting point of the exhibition, which unfolds across the entire Ostgalerie, the Foyer, the Terrassensaal and the Atelier. “For Children” explores universal themes such as huma­nity, society, politics, economy, environment, technology, and the future – topics we first encounter as children and that accompany us throughout our lives.

Until the mid-20th century, artworks made for children primarily involved design­ing toys, building sets, and children's furniture. However, from the late 1960s onwards, artists around the world began to create works that invited children to collaborate, treated them as equal and capable recipients, and encouraged autonomy and respon­sibility for their own actions. They increasingly saw young people as a relevant audience, as well as active participants and co-creators of their works.

This development took place parallel to the emergence of new art forms. The exhibition “For Children” thus connects to our previous show, “Inside other Spaces. Environments by Women Artists 1956–76” and highlights the influence of newly developed art forms, such as the Environment, on subsequent generations of artists.

On 5. & 6.12.25, the “For Children. Study Days” will provide the chance to delve deeper into the themes of the exhibition, offering a rich programme of panel discussions, performances and workshops by international participants. The programme has been conceived together with researchers and curators Lars Bang Larsen, Kabelo Malatsie and Kefiloe Siwisa.

The exhibition catalogue will be published by Distanz in autumn 2025.

Artists included are others KOO JEONG A (b. 1967, South Korea), Agus Nur Amal PMTOH (b. 1969, Indonesia), Ei Arakawa-Nash (b. 1977, Japan), Tarek Atoui (b. 1980, Lebanon), Yto Barrada (b. 1971, France), Antoine Catala (b. 1975, France), Neha Choksi (b. 1973, USA), DIS (since 2010, USA), Ólafur Elíasson (b. 1967, Denmark), Harun Farocki (1944–2014, Czech Republic/Germany), Emily Floyd (b. 1972, Australia), Jan Peter Hammer (b. 1970, Germany), KEKS (1968–1972, Germany), Eva Koťátková (b. 1982, Czech Republic), Basim Magdy (b. 1977, Egypt), Ana Mendieta (1948–1985, Cuba/USA), Meredith Monk (b. 1942, USA), Lygia Pape (1927–2004, Brazil), Bruce Nauman (b. 1941, USA), Ernesto Neto (b. 1964, Brazil), Rivane Neuenschwander (b. 1967, Brazil), Rachel Rose (b. 1986, USA), Afrah Shafiq (b. 1989, India), and Tromarama (since 2006, Indonesia).

Curated by Andrea Lissoni, Emma Enderby, Lydia Korndörfer, Xue Tan
with Lydia Antoniou, Laila Wu, as well as Sabine Brantl (Archive), Pia Linden and Camille Latreille (Learning and Engagement).

Exhibition Experience and Design (Ostgalerie): Hanna Kriegleder and Charlotte Marr

With many thanks to our Youth Council, the entire team of Haus der Kunst and our invigilators.

“For Children. Art Stories since 1968” is supported by Beisheim Stiftung, Teiger Foundation and Hackenberg Stiftung.
We thank the LEGO Group for the support of the exhibition.