Children’s Play

Contemporary artist Ragnar Kjartansson has a lifelong connection to theatre shaped by his childhood. The son of a director and an actor, Kjartansson grew up surrounded by rehearsals, scripts and backstage activity. Watching performers repeat lines and refine scenes sparked his interest in the process and continues to inform his own creative practice.

For children, Kjartansson has created an exhibition inspired by the idea of a theatrical feast. This concept originated in the Middle Ages and continued through the lavish festivities of European courts during the Rococo period, evolving into the modern idea of ‘dinner and a show’. Kjartansson’s studio in collaboration with the NGV have created a space for the Children’s Gallery that reimagines banquet halls and theatres. Kjartansson invites young visitors into a playful, creative environment where they can be audience members, actors, and creators – inventing and performing stories with friends and family on stage.

Taking inspiration from the theatre tradition of the banquet and show, the exhibition also features activity tables with lavish style displays of food. Arranged like still-life compositions, these displays invite children to draw what entices them or perhaps what they imagine they would like to eat. And for dessert: soft, colourful upholstered cushions, perfect for small hands to stack and turn into topsy-turvy cake sculptures.

Created for all ages, the exhibition brings together the themes of play and performance, reflecting the artist’s focus on drawing and theatre – two core elements of his practice. For children, it is designed to spark creativity and encourage free expression through drawing and theatrical play.