Francis Alÿs: Kids Take Over

Francis Alÿs presents thirty video works from his ongoing series “Children’s Games”, capturing children at play in different parts of the world. The exhibition is shown alongside a group of his paintings, creating a dialogue between moving image and canvas. A second part of the show transforms into a children’s museum, complete with a play zone curated by kids themselves.

For over twenty-five years, Alÿs has been documenting children’s games across a wide range of countries and cultures. His videos show children jumping rope, rolling tyres, throwing snowballs, and more—whether in cities or countryside, forests or steppes, in all kinds of climates. Some of the games are familiar, while others slowly reveal their rules and rhythms.

What ties them together is the universal language of play—seen in the children’s focus, joy, and imagination. Some films feel timeless, shaped by natural backdrops and analogue games. Others speak to specific moments: children wearing masks while playing tag during the COVID-19 pandemic, or Ukrainian kids weaving the experience of war into their play. Occasionally, deeper political and social realities surface—like in a scene where Congolese children roll a tyre down what turns out to be a slag heap from a cobalt mine. “Children’s Games” is a tribute to the creativity, resilience, and shared spirit of childhood that crosses cultures and borders.