About

Open your mind and step into the world of the surreal! During 'Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams', the Children's Art Centre presents Surrealism for Kids, which features an exciting range of interactive activities inspired by games played by the surrealists.

Many popular games involving chance, word play and picture-making were rediscovered by the surrealists as creative and playful ways of unlocking the imagination. In Surrealism for Kids, children are invited to engage with the surrealists through hands-on and multimedia activities, capture their own surrealist vision of the world and discover how some of the most powerful and imaginative art of the twentieth century was created.

Activities For Children

Max Ernst Surrealist Collage

Leading surrealist Max Ernst is well known for his series of novel collages. By taking cut-outs of nineteenth-century engravings and reassembling, Ernst was able to create seamless images of the strange and mysterious. Gallery visitors are invited to make their own surreal scenes using similar illustrations, sourced from nineteenth-century catalogues and advertisements and arranged on specially designed templates.

Oscar Domínguez Decalcomania

Decalcomania, used by surrealist artist Oscar Domínguez, is a printing technique that employs freely applied ink or paint. In Surrealism for Kids, children are invited to choose from pre-printed ink blot templates and, using their imaginations, draw what they see

Jean Arp Torn Paper Collage

Frustrated with his drawing, artist Jean Arp tore up one of his pictures and tossed it aside. Later, the shapes of the torn paper on the floor caught his eye — Arp immediately recognised it to be what he was striving for. With the paper provided, everyone can try this innovative method working with the laws of chance. Every torn paper collage will be the only one of its kind!

Marcel Duchamp Make A Sculpture

In Surrealism for Kids, young visitors are invited to construct their own surrealist sculptures using everyday items before photographing it and adding it to a collective display. Artists like Marcel Duchamp would often create free-standing sculptures using everyday objects that were called 'ready-mades'.

The Surrealist Chronicle

Acknowledging the surrealists' interest in the written word, Surrealism for Kids presents 'The Surrealist Chronicle' an innovative multimedia interactive that allows participants to participate in text and language games and share their results via Facebook and Twitter with their friends and families. Styled as a typical broadsheet newspaper, 'The Surrealist Chronicle' brings to life language games played by key surrealists like Tristan Tzara, André Breton and Jean-Claude Silbermann.

'Surrealism For Kids' Publication

Surrealism for Kids, is an exciting publication launched to coincide with 'Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams' and the Surrealism for Kids activity space at the Gallery of Modern Art (11 June-2 October 2011).

Developed and written especially for children, and based on a selection of the word and image games drawn upon by the surrealist artists, Surrealism for Kids is a 60-page publication exploring the ideas and approaches behind Surrealism in a series of activities for children to do at home or in the classroom. Richly illustrated and profiling several artists, including Salvador Dalí, André Breton and Max Ernst.

Surrealism For Kids On Tour
17-25 September 2011

Families across Queensland were invited to participate in the 'Surrealism for Kids on Tour' program at their local venue.

Surrealism for Kids On Tour