Havana’s streets become racetracks in this exhilarating portrait of children at play

In his ongoing Children’s Games series, the Belgian-born, Mexico-based artist Francis Alÿs documents the diverse games children play across the globe. In this instalment from the streets of Havana, Cuba, Alÿs captures an exhilarating race of chivichanas – handmade carts built from repurposed wood and ball bearings, and nailed together with stones used as hammers. Capturing the event from the perspectives of both participants and onlookers, Alÿs immerses viewers in the kinetic rattle of the race, as a group of young boys transforms colourful-yet-quiet neighbourhood streets into an urban racetrack, drawing an eager crowd of children and adults in the process. The spectacle seems to speak to both the resourcefulness of the young participants and their willingness to risk broken bones – or at the very least some gnarly scrapes – to compete at seriously high speeds.