Tuesday, July 09, 2013

La merda succede

We all know that art museums are good for kids (experience) and that kids are good for art museums (numbers) and in Europe they farm them as though their lives depend on it. Now that ‘Changing Lives’ is a common (albeit haunted by the ghost of social engineering) mantra throughout the first world museum trade and what life is easier to grab hold of and mould than that of a child? 

We saw this in spectacular action at the Stadel Museum in Frankfurt where over a single day 1,000 kids were bused in to be part of the ‘change’ agenda. The guards were beside themselves as swarms of small, medium and middle-sized children stormed through the galleries. At stations throughout the large spaces other gallery staff were poised to settle the kids down and entice them to draw an art work or make a sculpture out of paper and foil. 

Fortunately for us the Piero Manzoni exhibition downstairs was empty and silent. No kids and, perhaps unfortunately for them, no education professionals waiting at tables with small empty cans to encourage attempts at recreating  Merda d'artista.