Children's Play: Ragnar Kjartansson, NGV International
He tried to play with something that turned out to be a bin. Children's Play: Ragnar Kjartansson at NGV International with a four-year-old — what's actually in the room, and who it seems to be for.
Visited July 2026
Where NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Cost Free. Runs 26 June – 4 October 2026, daily 10am–5pm.
Ages Billed for all ages. Felt aimed at an older child, or just a different one.
How long we stayed About ten minutes
Verdict It's free, so the only cost is the trip
Site ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/childrens-play
Not sponsored.
The kiddo tried to play with something that turned out to be a bin.
Which maybe gives you the sense of what was in there. It's one room and you can see all of it from the door.
The vibe was off from the start. We walked in, small-fry wanted to go and explore, and a staff member started explaining the experience and the rules to me — at some length, and in a way that meant I couldn't help him settle in while it was happening. Stern rather than playful. Bit uptight, really, for an exhibition called Children's Play.
What's actually there: a stage, which he liked. He put on a few shows for me to watch and that part worked — he's happy to perform and the space invites it. There's some drawing. And then not much else really.
I suspect it's built for an older child, or a quieter one. A four-year-old who wants to touch things will run out of exhibition fairly fast.
It costs nothing so if you're already at the NGV, walk through. I wouldn't plan a day around it.
