Francis Alÿs

Overview

In the Belgian Pavilion at the Biennale Arte 2022, Francis Alÿs presents The Nature of the Game, an installation curated by Hilde Teerlinck featuring a group of new short films as well as a selection of paintings.

Known for addressing complex geopolitical issues through his imaginative and poetic observations of daily life, Alÿs (b. 1959) has documented children at play in public spaces across the globe in his Children’s Games series for more than two decades.

The Nature of the Game will present a selection of films from the Children’s Games series, which started in 1999 and is ongoing. Included in the selection will be new works, filmed between 2017 to 2022 and ranging in location from Hong Kong, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Belgium, and Mexico, among others. A selection of small paintings will also be included, adding context to where some of the films were made. The full series of Children’s Games is viewable online here.