Children Anywhere?
Venice Art Biennale 2024
If the role of a child in the society seems indisputably obvious to you, then you might need to give it a second thought.
The Aristotelian concept regards children as immature, underdeveloped beings. Rousseau expressed dissatisfaction with the society rushing children to grow up too quickly, constantly seeking an adult in a child without consideration to their true needs and capabilities.
Humanity has its place in the universal order, so does childhood.
The UN defines a child as every human being below the age of 18. Meanwhile, American author and educator Neil Postman argues that childhood is a social artifact rather than a biological category.
Times have changed along with attitudes towards the phenomenon of childhood, and today we wonder how the presence of children as full-fledged members of the society is accommodated in the city.
Playgrounds with swings, slides, and fences create ghettos reducing children’s interactions solely to their peers, placing children in predefined conditions within an artificial environment, with scenarios carefully planned by architects. That’s what a playground is all about.
What’s the purpose of this environmental model for our children and is it of any interest to them?
Rather, it looks like an inevitable measure within a space created and cultivated by human society for centuries, a space which now ultimately belongs to buildings, machines and vehicles that are not safe for humans. This place is called a city.
Is it ever possible to bring children back to the city, and return the city to children?
Colombian artist Ivan Argote participating in the current Venice Art Biennale with his project “Rest", held a workshop for children in Pamplona, Spain, in 2019, where he taught them to express their thoughts in the form of protest statements.
Children aged 4-7 came up with slogans, learned how to shout, express their wishes and opinions briefly and clearly, as well as act on the street to be heard. Children flooded city streets and asserted their presence by speaking about their rights and claiming that they are the same citizens as adults.
The Aristotelian concept regards children as immature, underdeveloped beings. Rousseau expressed dissatisfaction with the society rushing children to grow up too quickly, constantly seeking an adult in a child without consideration to their true needs and capabilities.
Humanity has its place in the universal order, so does childhood.
The UN defines a child as every human being below the age of 18. Meanwhile, American author and educator Neil Postman argues that childhood is a social artifact rather than a biological category.
Times have changed along with attitudes towards the phenomenon of childhood, and today we wonder how the presence of children as full-fledged members of the society is accommodated in the city.
Playgrounds with swings, slides, and fences create ghettos reducing children’s interactions solely to their peers, placing children in predefined conditions within an artificial environment, with scenarios carefully planned by architects. That’s what a playground is all about.
What’s the purpose of this environmental model for our children and is it of any interest to them?
Rather, it looks like an inevitable measure within a space created and cultivated by human society for centuries, a space which now ultimately belongs to buildings, machines and vehicles that are not safe for humans. This place is called a city.
Is it ever possible to bring children back to the city, and return the city to children?
Colombian artist Ivan Argote participating in the current Venice Art Biennale with his project “Rest", held a workshop for children in Pamplona, Spain, in 2019, where he taught them to express their thoughts in the form of protest statements.
Children aged 4-7 came up with slogans, learned how to shout, express their wishes and opinions briefly and clearly, as well as act on the street to be heard. Children flooded city streets and asserted their presence by speaking about their rights and claiming that they are the same citizens as adults.
Screenshot from the video of Activissimme!! happening realised by Ivan Argote, 2011-2013
Nonetheless, at the world’d largest and most important art and architecture exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale, children’s appearance is little to none which is rather attributed to absolute lack of interest and discourse around the theme of childhood.
Over the entire history of the Venice Biennale only a few projects have managed to demonstrate an in-depth and comprehensive exploration of the childhood theme.
On the occasion of the 59th Venice Art Biennale, the national participation of Belgium was represented by a project of Francys Alÿs. Being an artist and architect, he has been travelling since 1999 documenting children's street games from around the world.
The artist observed the processes of children's interaction through play, exploring the characteristics of different communities and cultures through play.
Over the entire history of the Venice Biennale only a few projects have managed to demonstrate an in-depth and comprehensive exploration of the childhood theme.
On the occasion of the 59th Venice Art Biennale, the national participation of Belgium was represented by a project of Francys Alÿs. Being an artist and architect, he has been travelling since 1999 documenting children's street games from around the world.
The artist observed the processes of children's interaction through play, exploring the characteristics of different communities and cultures through play.
Children's Games, Francis Alÿs, 1999-present. Screenshot from the video Children’s Game #7: Stick and Wheels, Kabul, Afghanistan, 2011
At the previous Architecture Biennale in 2023, Lithuania presented its project "Children’s Forest Pavilion" showcasing the results of the forest research made by children.
Someone might just respond with a smile or be tempted to disregard this project as a naive amusement. On the other hand, it is children, our next generation who will have to take care of forests and our planet pretty soon.
Nowadays, children are encouraged to spend more time indoors, while benefits of numerous indoor art and craft clubs are questionable and can’t compete with an infinite wealth of information, knowledge and tactile practices available to children in nature.
Someone might just respond with a smile or be tempted to disregard this project as a naive amusement. On the other hand, it is children, our next generation who will have to take care of forests and our planet pretty soon.
Nowadays, children are encouraged to spend more time indoors, while benefits of numerous indoor art and craft clubs are questionable and can’t compete with an infinite wealth of information, knowledge and tactile practices available to children in nature.
Children’s Forest Pavilion, Worshops with children in Mustarinda, 2022, Photo: Zuzana Janečková
The theme of the current Venice Art Biennale is "Foreigners Everywhere."
A foreigner is someone different, rejected or often seen as “the other” by the society; it’s a stranger who perceives the rules and restrictions of the modern society as traumatic and too formal.
This is a crucial theme that can easily be projected onto both the architectural and urban contexts: immigration, home loss, consequences of frequent moves from place to place.
Curator Adriano Pedrosa speaks about representatives of LGBTQ communities, colonial history, and indigenous peoples.
What if we expand the topic drawing parallels with the urban space, suggesting that children are the natives of the streets, and adults with their inventions are colonisers?
The Architectural Thinking School for Children created its own pavilion, the Foreign Pavilion, existing everywhere and nowhere, nomadic, travelling, and offering its own response to the theme defined by the curator on the occasion of each Biennale. This is an unofficial pavilion because, as the project curators say, they don’t support the current format of the Biennale.
A foreigner is someone different, rejected or often seen as “the other” by the society; it’s a stranger who perceives the rules and restrictions of the modern society as traumatic and too formal.
This is a crucial theme that can easily be projected onto both the architectural and urban contexts: immigration, home loss, consequences of frequent moves from place to place.
Curator Adriano Pedrosa speaks about representatives of LGBTQ communities, colonial history, and indigenous peoples.
What if we expand the topic drawing parallels with the urban space, suggesting that children are the natives of the streets, and adults with their inventions are colonisers?
The Architectural Thinking School for Children created its own pavilion, the Foreign Pavilion, existing everywhere and nowhere, nomadic, travelling, and offering its own response to the theme defined by the curator on the occasion of each Biennale. This is an unofficial pavilion because, as the project curators say, they don’t support the current format of the Biennale.
Bambini Ovunque, project by Architectural Thinking School for Children, Venice, 2024. Photo: Dina Balashova
Paolo Monti, Venice, 1960
"We generally disagree with the current division of society, artists, architects by national pavilions.
The boundaries of belonging to a particular country have long been blurred, competitions for pavilions are held for curators and artists from all over the world. Artists from Africa can represent the Netherlands. Why do we still have this formal division into countries?" says project co-curator Alexander Novikov.
Moreover, the Foreign Pavilion is a project bringing together immigrants, children from Ukraine, Latvia, Belarus, Russia, whose families left their countries because of the war in Ukraine, who are now scattered around the world waiting for residence permits and don’t know what their final destination will be next year.
It’s hard to define which country they belong to as both the curators, participants, and children fully engaged across all stages of the project are immigrants.
This year, the pavilion made its appearance with the project "BAMBINI OVUNQUE." For three days, the children were playing street games they had invented themselves on Via Garibaldi.
"For many years the conviction has grown upon me that civilization arises and unfolds in and as play," says Johan Huizinga.
If not children then who could confirm this statement?
The project participants played with adults, artists, passersby and other children creating a real happening. With this being just a part of the project, the children had previously studied the phenomenon of play as part of a special educational program encompassing philosophy games, games of the world's peoples, and game design. This resulted in a real full-fledged research and meticulous and in-depth project preparation, comparable to the work of adults, professional artists and curators.
"Through our games, I met new people, even Italians. And it turns out, this was my first real business trip," says project participant Phillip, aged 12, reflecting on his experience.
Venice as the city is an integral part of the Biennale, and discussions about the acceptance by local residents of the influx of tourists and visitors to cultural events intensify and sharpen every year. However, the BAMBINI OVUNQUE project was warmly received by the people. Residents, often older generation, shared their bittersweet memories of their childhood when the streets used to be always full of children, and felt touched when seeing children who seemed to be recreating what has long been gone.
The boundaries of belonging to a particular country have long been blurred, competitions for pavilions are held for curators and artists from all over the world. Artists from Africa can represent the Netherlands. Why do we still have this formal division into countries?" says project co-curator Alexander Novikov.
Moreover, the Foreign Pavilion is a project bringing together immigrants, children from Ukraine, Latvia, Belarus, Russia, whose families left their countries because of the war in Ukraine, who are now scattered around the world waiting for residence permits and don’t know what their final destination will be next year.
It’s hard to define which country they belong to as both the curators, participants, and children fully engaged across all stages of the project are immigrants.
This year, the pavilion made its appearance with the project "BAMBINI OVUNQUE." For three days, the children were playing street games they had invented themselves on Via Garibaldi.
"For many years the conviction has grown upon me that civilization arises and unfolds in and as play," says Johan Huizinga.
If not children then who could confirm this statement?
The project participants played with adults, artists, passersby and other children creating a real happening. With this being just a part of the project, the children had previously studied the phenomenon of play as part of a special educational program encompassing philosophy games, games of the world's peoples, and game design. This resulted in a real full-fledged research and meticulous and in-depth project preparation, comparable to the work of adults, professional artists and curators.
"Through our games, I met new people, even Italians. And it turns out, this was my first real business trip," says project participant Phillip, aged 12, reflecting on his experience.
Venice as the city is an integral part of the Biennale, and discussions about the acceptance by local residents of the influx of tourists and visitors to cultural events intensify and sharpen every year. However, the BAMBINI OVUNQUE project was warmly received by the people. Residents, often older generation, shared their bittersweet memories of their childhood when the streets used to be always full of children, and felt touched when seeing children who seemed to be recreating what has long been gone.
Bambini Ovunque, project by Architectural Thinking School for Children, Venice, 2024. Photo: Maria Kovalevich
It is sad to realise that what was once natural for the streets and children now remains only in the form of art. The project is planning to make its appearance at the Architecture Biennale in 2025 titled INTELLIGENS, where emphasis will be placed on Venice space and city interventions tackling ecological and other challenges faced by the city and the planet.
Bambini Ovunque participant with representatives of Nordic Pavilion. Venice, 2024. Photo: Maria Kovalevich
"I believe the BAMBINI OVUNQUE project is a simple and non-obvious solution to many issues. How can we communicate peacefully, without asking someone about their ethnicity, without venting aggression? Through the universal language of play, through this safe temporary space with its own rules and boundaries.
How can we come up with something really environmentally friendly for the city?
Our project uses 0 materials. No structures, complex installations, materials transported by plane from country to country... All you need to participate in this project is just willingness, ideas, and openness, which is already a lot by today’s standards. People need to learn again to be children, be open, capable of playing and experimenting. And we explore this in our ongoing project," says project co-curator Elena Karpilova.
How can we come up with something really environmentally friendly for the city?
Our project uses 0 materials. No structures, complex installations, materials transported by plane from country to country... All you need to participate in this project is just willingness, ideas, and openness, which is already a lot by today’s standards. People need to learn again to be children, be open, capable of playing and experimenting. And we explore this in our ongoing project," says project co-curator Elena Karpilova.
