“NO ADULTS ALLOWED”
New Zealand is that country where children and young people build their own valuable art collection…
In 1987 Magda Van Gils of Muka Studio in Auckland started the “Muka Youth Print Project”.
The
concept was and is simple but also revolutionary giving people under 19
the freedom to judge, choose and own original works of contemporary
art.
Works of art used to belong primarily to the adult world, first of
all they were simply too expensive for young people, and adults wanted
to judge about their quality, in most cases that was a judgment about
money value.
Artists working at Magda’s lithographic studio were prepared to create original prints exclusively for people under 19.
A smaller image size (20 x 10cm on an 18 x 28 sheet of Archival Arches 88), and relatively larger editions (maximum 150)
lowered the costs dramatically.
And so in November 1987 the first Muka Youth Print exhibition was staged at the home of Muka Studio under the title “No adults allowed”
Every year a new collection of “Muka Youth Prints”
by leading artists has been organized under that title, not only in
Auckland but also at most public galleries from Invercargill to
Northland.
This year New Zealand’s under 19 see the 27th Muka Youth Print collection and still no adults are allowed.
More
than 100 leading artists from New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Holland,
Belgium, Denmark, the US, Japan, Vietnam and Korea have created works
specially for this project
More and more people who twenty or
more years ago, as a child, started their art collection at the Muka
Youth Print exhibitions now bring their children to the event. And
every year more grandparents realize that Muka Youth Prints constitute
the ideal, long lasting and precious Xmas present for their
grandchildren.
Muka Youth Prints 12 - 5pm November 28th 2013
