Week 3 : Children’s Rights Exhibition Log and Course Reflection
Exhibition Viewing: The Children Are Now
📍Gallery: Talbot Rice Gallery
This is an exhibition about “childism”, calling on people to seek ways to grant children rights and to reconsider the role of children in shaping our world.
Exhibition layout:
First exhibition area: On the first floor of the entrance hall, The Boat People is screened, telling the story of five children who are the last survivors on Earth. They develop a ritual of replicating the items they find with wood, burning them and scattering the ashes into the sea. Large-scale art models and paintings are also displayed, such as Hell Mouth 5 and Vomit Girl, etc.
Second exhibition area: On the second floor, there are two viewing areas. For example, the documentary “Freedom Needs Free People” captures and records children’s rebellious behaviors, making children no longer the objects of description but first-person narrators expressing their views on the world. It shows that children are independent individuals. Through filming, it provides a platform to expose the issues he has noticed. There are also related art installations and the display of 38 slogan boards from child rights defenders, etc.
Third exhibition area: By going down the stairs to the first floor, there is a viewing hall and an interactive space for the audience. People entering the exhibition area can practice the “hopscotch” game with the posters and props provided at the entrance, emphasizing co-creation and experience. It enables the audience to enter children’s games and transform from viewers to participants.
Key Learnings from the Exhibition:
1. The curatorial sequence of works establishes a viewing mechanism, guiding visitors’ inner thoughts and states through the order of presentation. This approach effectively amplifies the theme’s resonant impact.
2. The participatory interactive space transforms spectators into active participants. This method transcends mere entertainment; it immerses audiences in children’s modes of perception and action. Such interactive approaches can be integrated into future curatorial practice.
3. The exhibition centres on children, advocating recognition of their agency. It does not speak for children but creates conditions for them to speak for themselves, enabling audiences to learn to listen. This approach offers insights into more decentralised, reflective curatorial methods for future exhibitions dealing with related social issues.
Course Reflection：Questions to consider when curating
Why – Make an exhibition
Who-Are your audience
How-What restrictions or rules are there
When-How is it relevant now
What-Makes something interesting
