Now that I am married and have a child, I chose to involve the whole family in this passion of mine and, even if it might seem strange to some to bring a baby to a museum, they all like to go with me on these trips.
I certainly changed my approach to exhibitions and now I am always looking for new ways to involve everyone in the same way.
Fortunately, in recent years, you can find and book guided tours suitable for families, visit children-friendly museums or explore interactive exhibitions and I usually choose the latter.
Museums reopened last Summer and I have been to a few exhibitions since then.
The most recent was the Escher exhibition at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa.
Palazzo Ducale in Genoa hosts many exhibitions
Palazzo Ducale is also known in Genoa by the nickname O Päxo (in Genoese dialect: the palace) and has always been the geographical and cultural heart of the city of Genoa.
Palazzo Ducale offers art and photography exhibitions, cultural events, book presentations and plays, sometimes even offered at the same time in different rooms of the palace.
I chose to attend the Escher exhibition because I had always been a fan of his and, for those who are not familiar with him, I must add he is a very original Dutch engraver and graphic artist who created masterpieces full of optical illusions of any kind.
So, if you are one of those people who think that an art exhibition cannot be suitable for a family with children, this is the exhibition that will make you change your mind for sure because it’s fun, interesting and interactive for all.
It opened here in Genoa last September and it’s running until February 22nd 2022.
This event cannot fail to leave you speechless and the exhibition itinerary follows the creative development of the artist from the beginning of his career to the peak of his artistic maturity starting from his Art Nouveau roots to his growing interest in geometric forms and visual perceptions.
It is not allowed to take photographs of the works but I reveal to you that you can admire his most famous works and inside the palace there are panels to understand the artist and his works and, very interestingly, also many interactive installations that allow the visitor to interact and identify himself with the artist's mind and the principles that inspired him.
At the end of the exhibition, before you get to the shop, there is a room where films and documents on Escher's influence on cinema, music and publishing are reproduced.
To make the approach suitable and understandable even for the little ones, on certain dates it is possible to participate in guided tours organized just for them, which last about an hour.
As you are visiting the exhibits with a guide, little by little, the principles underlying Escher's work are explained to you.
Escher loved simple shapes and played with them in his works.
After having fun with all the interactive installations such as the room with mirrors or the one with geometric characters, we headed towards the projection room.
The guide made us play with our shadows projected on a wall…
With a simple game we learnt for instance the principle of “full and empty” which means you cannot recognize a shape without its background.
We were also able to visit a room which was inclined and therefore we looked bigger or smaller depending on which side we were standing.
Life is all about perspectives after all!
