Francis Alÿs Exhibition

The Francis Alÿs exhibition, on until the end of January at Hiroshima MOCA, reminds me of that children’s game “Would you Rather…?”

Would you rather throw yourself into the epicenter of a tornado, or walk down a busy city street casually swinging a gun?

Mexico-based Alÿs (born 1959 in Belgium) is a conceptual artist who has done these things, and more. He then records his adventures through video, photography and painting.

“Via the not-at-all-special act of walking, Alÿs reflects people’s lives and the political issues that are inseparable from them” (Hiroshima MOCA web site).

This would be a great show to introduce children to conceptual Art as it’s fun, and parts of the show – wittingly or not – are funny. As Alÿs pushes a large block of ice through the streets of Mexico City for nine hours, you can tell he’s totally sick of the idea and wishing he’d never begun. The concepts behind his artworks are generally clear, but the show also has useful explanations in Japanese and English and a really good brochure to accompany the exhibition.

Special Events:

• Film Guards will be shown continuously December 7 & 8 from 10:30.
• On December 22nd there is a kids pinata-making workshop 14:00-15:30. The pinata will be displayed in the museum, and smashed apart on January 11. The workshop is limited to 30 kids over 5 years old, and pre-registration is required.

The Francis Alÿs Exhibition continues until January 26 at Hiroshima MOCA. Click here for more details.