Photographer Jacob Riis (1849-1914), known for his photographs documenting of the lives of the poor immigrants of New York, often saw the young children of the immigrants ser ving as interpreters, on errands with their parents who were unable to speak English. He dubbed these children "go-betweens" as they served as a bridge between the old country and their new country of the United States.
In addition to bridging cultures, children often traverse the realms of reality and fantasy through their constant play and imagination. The ideas and creativity of children, unfettered by the conventional thinking, norms or frames of reference within which adults conduct their lives, can reveal an all-the-more multifaceted world.
In this exhibition, we focus on the nature of such children who cross the boundaries of culture and consciousness. We observe various aspects of society through these children who are mediators or windows to the very world we inhibit, and view the world in which we live from a new perspective. Through the images of children appearing in works by artists of diverse backgrounds, we not only consider social elements such as education, politics and globalism that surround children, but through such keywords as "play," "dreams," and "memory," we focus more on children' s emotions, and furthermore, on the ambiguity of boundaries separating the realms of reality and imagination, and of grown-ups and children.

Organizer: Mori Art Museum
Curator: Araki Natsumi (Curator, Mori Art Museum)
Touring to: Nagoya City Art Museum, Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum, The Museum of Art, Kochi (all TBC)