Spiegelei im Hamburger Kinderzimmer

The internationally acclaimed artist Olafur Eliasson (born in Copenhagen in 1967) has designed a space in the Hamburger Kunsthalle where both children (aged 6 to 12) and adults can have fun and explore their creativity in a hands-on environment. In the centre of the room, which is located on the ground floor of the Galerie der Gegenwart, is an interactive work by Eliasson entitled »The structural evolution project«. At a large table equipped with Zometools – mulitcoloured rods of varying diameter and octagonal connector balls – visitors of all ages are invited to create imaginative structures, crystalline forms and architectural designs. Eliasson has integrated features from his other works into »The structural evolution project« especially for the Hamburger Kinderzimmer (Children’s Room in the Hamburger Kunsthalle): around the walls of the room he has installed a complex arrangement of partly mirrored shelving structures, creating a unique ‘exhibition space’ where visitors can present the works they have made.

To encourage children to develop new, imaginative creations with the »Zometools«, two small-scale thematic exhibitions aimed specifically at younger visitors will be shown in the Children’s Room every year. The first children’s exhibition, featuring paintings, sculptures and prints by artists ranging from the 17th-century Dutch painters through to Picasso, will be devoted to »Mirror Images«. Children can also explore the Kunsthalle’s other exhibition spaces for related works on this theme with the aid of a special map published to coincide with the opening of the Hamburger Kinderzimmer. The map is available free of charge from the box office.

The Stiftung für die Hamburger Kunstsammlungen has generously financed the Hamburger Kinderzimmer project to mark the fifty-year anniversary of its foundation.

We are very grateful to the Stiftung für die Hamburger Kunstsammlungen for purchasing Olafur Eliasson’s work.

We would also like to thank the Malschule in der Kunsthalle, BUDNIANER HILFE and Montana Møbler A/S for their support.