The participatory installation Mega Please Draw Freely by Ei Arakawa-Nash (born 1977, Japan) is part of the group exhibition “For Children. Art Stories since 1968”. Located in the Mittelhalle, it invites visitors to collectively create an artwork by drawing directly on the floor.
The installation Mega Please Draw Freely is inspired by the Japanese post-war avant-garde group Gutai, whose work radically shaped how art is created through experiments with visual art, performance, theatre and sound. The artist re-enacts a performance by Gutai founder Jirō Yoshihara who, in 1956, invited children and adults to draw freely on a large white canvas installed as a contribution to the second Outdoor Gutai Art Exhibition in Ashiya Park, creating art together under the open sky. This act blurred the boundaries between artist and audience, adult and child, turning art-making into a joyful, shared process.
In the Mittelhalle – the central space at Haus der Kunst that connects the indoors, outdoors, and all galleries as a site of encounter and engagement – Arakawa-Nash revives this spirit of Gutai, situating us back in time with photographs of Ashiya Park and sculptures of Noh pine trees. The installation extends to the terrace during the summer months, allowing a view over the English Garden, linking two public parks, two different times and places.
Arakawa-Nash often works with art histories, particularly the legacy of Gutai. His work thrives on live energy, participation and collective improvisation. It invites movements, voices, gestures – and the audience. The structure remains open-ended, ready to be activated by those who enter. The paintings displayed on the walls of the Mittelhalle were created by primary school children from Munich during a workshop led by the artist in July 2025. The artist will continue to bring performances, exercises, songs and games to activate the installation. This work is about free expression, presence, and being together safely, creatively, and even messily.
On 20.7.25, as part of the Japan Festival in the English Garden, and on 25.7.25 during Open Haus, Ei Arakawa-Nash will present improvised performances that reflect the spirit of the Gutai movement and invite collective participation.
Curated by Xue Tan with Laila Wu
Information for your visit
- Please only walk on the painting surface with dry shoes. The surface does not tolerate moisture.
- Please only draw on the floor.
- Feel free to enjoy food and drinks in our Atelier, but not on the drawing surface in the Mittelhalle.
- Accessible drawing sticks for wheelchair users are available. Please ask our staff for assistance.
