Playing house

Playing house is about the rules children grow up with, and about the ones worth breaking. The exhibition looks closely at what usually escapes the eye, such as words and images carved into a school desk, an imaginary friend nobody else can see, or a sound that carries more meaning than any sentence could. At its heart, the exhibition treats imagination not as a way to escape the world but as a tool for reshaping it. Daydreaming, experimenting and the confidence to simply take initiative are often the first things people give up when under pressure. Playing house makes space for them, treating play as something worth protecting and celebrating, for children and adults alike. The exhibition builds on a tradition that Groninger Museum began in 2021, when it became the first museum in the Netherlands to organise a children’s biennial. Playing house also incorporates the contributions of the Biennial Kids, a group of children who have been actively involved in shaping the exhibition and whose influence is visible in a number of the works on display.