In1999,ashortvideoofasolitaryboykickinganemptybottleupahillinMexicoCitybecamethefirstinstalmentofChildren’sGames,aseriesofworksbyartistFrancisAlÿs(b.Antwerp,1959).Theongoingproject,whichnownumbersaroundthirty-fiveworks,hasgraduallygivenshapetoanextensivecollectionofvideosofchildrenatplay.Foralmosttwenty-fiveyears,AlÿsandhiscollaboratorsF矇lixBlume,JulienDevaux,andRafaelOrtegahavebeentravellingaroundtheworldtodocumentthedistinctivewaysinwhichchildreninteractwitheachotherandtheirphysicalenvironment.TheyhavegonefromremotevillagesintheDemocraticRepublicoftheCongo,Afghanistan,Venezuela,andNepaltothemountainsofSwitzerlandandmetropoleslikeHongKongandParis,buthavealsovisitedthewar-torncityofMosulinIraq,theborderbetweenMexicoandtheUnitedStates,andthestraitofGibraltarthatdividesAfricaandEurope.Theresultingimagesarestandingproofoftheseriousnessofplayandofchildren’sstunningpowersofresilienceinthefaceofconflict.ThisvolumeprovidesamultidisciplinaryperspectivetothemanylayersofChildren’sGames.ItincludesaninterviewwithFrancisAlÿsandRafaelOrtega,aseriesofessaysbywell-knownscholarsandartcritics,curatorialstatements,andalogbookrelatedtothepresentationofChildren’sGamesattheVeniceArtBiennaleof2022.FreeebookavailableatOAPENLibrary,JSTOR,ProjectMuse,andOpenResearchLibraryContributors:FrancisAlÿs(artist),Gerard-JanClaes(filmmaker,artisticdirectorofSabzian),TimIngold(anthropologist,UniversityofAberdeen),ZeynepKubat(arthistorian,curatorandwriter),KarenLang(arthistorian,RoyalSocietyofArts),RafaelOrtega(artist),RodrigoPerezdeArce(architect,PontificiaUniversidadCat籀licadeChile),JuanMart穩nP矇rezGarc穩a(NetworkfortheRightsofChildreninMexico(REDIM)),GiulioPiovesan(journalistandphotographer),JohnPotter(mediaeducation,UniversityCollegeLondon),VirginiaRoy(curatorattheUniversityMuseumofContemporaryArtoftheNationalAutonomousUniversityofMexico),St矇phaneSymons(professorofphilosophy,KULeuven),HildeTeerlinck(HanNefkensFoundation/curatoroftheBelgianPavilionattheVeniceArtBiennale2022).
