Carl Quist Møller: A Hole for the Head

Can you enter a painting? And what would happen if you could?

With holes in the giant colourful paintings and with steps on the backside, the spectator is literally brought into the picture at this year's art exhibition for children.

Bring your camera, try it for yourself - and don't forget to bring lots of children with you.

Nikolaj, Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center, will be filled by 20 giant paintings of which you become a part when you put your head through the holes that have been cut out. So it's up to you, and there's no given ending. Carl Quist Møller's intention is for curious children to use their imaginations and expand on the story...

Says Carl Quist Møller, "Today, children are being bombarded with images. But most images serve certain purposes - often commercial ones. Computer games may present puzzles to stimulate the mind, but the end results have already been decided on by a grown-up. But art, on the other hand, may spark off a thought, a mood, and then leave the solution or the very point to the child itself. If the coming generation is to create new stories and solutions, we need to challenge and create space for the imagination of the curious child".

"I've endeavoured to create visual art for children, and in these pictures, the curious child will find hidden visual puzzles and stories which still leave something open. It's neither pedagogics, nor is it just plain entertainment. These are clearly illustrations, but I've tried to dissolve the symbolism in the painting process".

The jazz orchestra for children Djanzz has composed the music which accompanies the pictures of the exhibition. Read more about this orchestra on www.djanzz.dk.

Carl Quist Møller is known for his vivid imagination. The exhibition A Hole for the Head, however, marks his debut as a visual artist. Apart from that, Carl Quist Møller has more than a few very active careers going as an illustrator, an animator, a lecturer, a musician, a writer, an actor as well as a teller of tall tales.

You're more than welcome to bring your own camera - and if it's a digital one, don't forget to bring a video plug-in and you'll be able to see the results on a screen at the exhibition.

This is the eighth year in a row that Nikolaj, Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center, opens an art exhibition planned and presented specifically for children. In a sensuous, intellectual and creative learning room the 6 to10 year olds may, together with the art center's teachers, try their hands on contemporary art and culture. The exhibition and the accompanying teaching seek to facilitate the collaboration between the subjects Danish and visual arts and thus to challenge and intensify the children's imagination, critical reflection and visual competencies.

The exhibition has previously been shown at the Kunsthallen Brandts.

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Carl Quist Moller: A Hole for the Head