Every day in Germany, almost 14 children and adolescents die of life-shortening diseases. This is a taboo subject. The German Association of Children's Hospices is committed to removing the taboo from terminally ill children and the related children’s hospice work in society and to bring affected children and their families out of social exclusion. Instead of using factual information-heavy communication, a new emotional path is to be taken with FACING THE TABOO. The aim is to bring the topic of "children and death" into the public eye, touch people and thereby generate donations.

Art has always dealt with the extreme, with the breaks and turning points in people’s lives. It can serve us as a mirror of our existence, so that we can look at it from other perspectives. Our art project FACING THE TABOO sees itself as a reflection of our existence in the existence of others: if you look at the portraits of children with life-shortening illnesses on the translucent glass walls, you are inevitably reflected in them, becoming part of the work that deals with life and its dissolution.

This immediate reflection creates in an image what a thousand words can hardly achieve. It is the encounter with ourselves in the terminally ill child. By taking up the dissolving effect and translating it into moving image, contrasting old people and young children, we create another emotional level for the general public.

FACING THE TABOO is a travelling art exhibition through German cities, which was launched at Germany's largest art event in Nuremberg. In using art we intend to reach middle-aged art lovers with middle to higher incomes and encourage them to donate. Younger art enthusiasts, who may not be able to afford large donations, can scale the level of attention to this topic by photographing and sharing the installation and thus get the feeling that they are doing something good. The media echo is also intended to break the taboo of the topic and bring affected children and the children's hospice work into the limelight. Additionally the general public is reached, emotionally touched and called upon to donate in supplementary TV spots.

At the center of the project is an installation of semi-transparent dark glass walls with the portraits of terminally ill children. The portraits consist of a mix of 3D scans and photography and appear like a snapshot of life’s dissolution process and capture the terminally ill children in their radiance and vitality.

The art project launched at Germany's largest art event in Nuremberg in May 2022 and has been touring the Federal Republic ever since. Each exhibition venue is promoted by a range of advertising from print to OOH to social media. 2 TV spots with 2 famous German actors pick up on the dissolution process and accompany the project on national TV.

Directly after Germany's largest art event, the German Association of Children’s Hospices was able to record an increase in donations and many messages with complimenting words and thank-you messages for their work. Many of those new donors placed standing orders in which people pay a monthly amount to the association rather than donating just once. Overall donations have increased by 70% since the launch of the campaign. Many national media reported on the art campaign in magazines, newspapers and on TV in a positive context which enhances the interest in the general public. Furthermore, through the art project new prominent ambassadors for the association could be won, who now campaign for the issue in their network, which generates even more public interest.