MELBOURNE.- This winter at the NGV, Swiss artist Olaf Breuning invites kids and families to explore and celebrate the natural world through art-inspired activities in the free exhibition Plans for the Planet: Olaf Breuning for Kids, at NGV International. Drawing on his paintings, sculptures and photographs that explore the natural world, Breuning has created a playful and imaginative experience inspired by children’s love of adventure, playgrounds, and theme parks.

Placing kids at the centre of conversations around sustainability and caring for the environment, the exhibition explores issues such as conservation, pollution and wildlife, while fostering hope for creating a better planet for humans and animals alike. Through this exhibition, Breuning sparks meaningful conversations with the new generation about the world.

Using a specially designed swipe card kids will activate animations as they move through the space which features scenography inspired by the natural environment including a forest and a floor of lava.

Plans for the Planet will surprise and delight children as they venture along paths of discovery beginning in the Nature and Us room. At the heart of this space stands a giant tree installation surrounded by murals of Breuning’s drawings, creating an immersive forest environment. Children can sit beneath the tree and draw homes for forest animals inspired by the woodland scenography.

Inspiring children to participate in conversations and develop ideas for the future of the planet, the exhibition allows children to write out their ideas for the future on touch screens, which will be displayed on the walls as part of the installation. Inside the Just a Person space, kids are invited to capture a self-portrait in an interactive photobooth and then decorate their portrait with fun virtual objects, chosen from a catalogue of everyday items that help to explain who they are.

The exhibition is accompanied by a kid's publication, titled My Nature Book with Olaf Breuning, taking young readers on an enchanting journey through a forest where they can join in by scurrying around like a bug or singing like a bird before the sun goes down.

Olaf Breuning, artist said: ‘It is a different world from the one I grew up in; today, children are exposed to discussions about global warming, sea level rise, animal extinction, and other unhappy topics. I hope my art can inspire young children to join this conversation in a playful and innocent way. To be motivated to have a good intention to make things better. Today’s children are the ones who will make “plans for the planet”, and I am confident that they will do right. Kids are the future!’