208 baby dolls animate japan pavilion in ei arakawa-nash's playful ode to care

"Each visitor selects a doll and holds it close while moving through the pavilion. Yet the experience quickly accumulates emotional and symbolic weight. The babies are not presented as props or sculptures to observe from a distance. They circulate through the exhibition in people's arms, against their shoulders, in moments of hesitation, affection, awkwardness, and concentration. Throughout the day, the pavilion fills with these small acts of attention as strangers become visibly conscious of one another's movements and responsibilities."

"Installed within the modernist structure of the Japan Pavilion in the Giardini, the exhibition extends beyond the gallery walls and into the surrounding landscape. The open pilotis and pathways become part of the work's rhythm, allowing visitors carrying the dolls to drift in and out of view. Japanese American artist Arakawa-Nash uses this circulation to slow down the pace of spectatorship."

"The exhibition culminates in a communal station where visitors change the dolls' diapers and scan QR codes attached to each baby. These generate short 'diaper poems' tied to assigned birthdays, linking intimate rituals of care to broader historical timelines. The birthdays correspond to intersections between personal experiences and larger social and political forces, positioning the babies somewhere between fictional characters"

A participatory installation titled Grass Babies, Moon Babies transforms the Japan Pavilion into an environment shaped through touch, movement, and shared responsibility. Visitors select one of 208 baby dolls and carry it through the pilotis, garden, and interior spaces, temporarily assuming the role of caretaker. The dolls circulate through the exhibition in people’s arms, creating moments of hesitation, affection, awkwardness, and concentration that make strangers aware of one another’s movements and responsibilities. The open pathways extend the work beyond gallery walls and slow spectatorship through drifting visibility. The experience culminates in a communal station where visitors change diapers and scan QR codes that generate short diaper poems tied to assigned birthdays, linking intimate care rituals to broader historical timelines.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine