Happiness Is a State of Mind
Group show featuring Hedda Roman

26. März – 22. Mai 2022
Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf

Copyright the artists; Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf

Happiness Is a State of Mind

Addendum, March 2022: In these times, it is not easy to open an exhibition on the topic of joy and art without asking how we can deal with the terrible and incomprehensible outbreak of war in Ukraine. We hope that we and everyone can still offer some hope and a lot of positive energy with our exhibition, and that we can remain a place for exchange and communication through art. Joy is the antidote to hate, and love is the most important energy that we humans have.

The artists and curators of the exhibition think that due to the current emergency in Ukraine, it would be misleading to keep the title in its original form, and so on 8 March 2022 they decided to add a strikethrough line to indicate its deletion.

This winter we’re experiencing a fourth major wave of coronavirus infections, with looming lockdowns, a new variant, discussions about triage, and astonishment at how this could happen to us for the second and now third year in a row. At the same time, fatigue and surrender are spreading. The dreary weather on these short autumn and winter days has also contributed to a certain lethargy.

This situation gave rise to the idea of an exhibition about color, joy, and happiness, which is meant to put a smile on our faces, even if just for a moment. Its focus is the joie de vivre and euphoria that art can make us feel.

According to studies, beauty in art can increase our level of serotonin, a hormone that is associated with happiness. Visiting exhibitions can significantly reduce stress, since the level of the stress hormone cortisol declines after just 45 minutes of enjoying art: beautiful art apparently triggers feelings of love!

Hedda Schattanik and Roman Szczesny, Auf dem Weg zum Flughafen, 2021 (Detail)

Copyright the artists; Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf

The works by thirteen artists with ties to Düsseldorf deal with the enjoyment of form and color in a very aesthetic manner in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, and installations. The appeal of the beautiful, the balancing of the aesthetic, and the pleasure that the artists take in their work will become immediately apparent, creating a positive atmosphere for visitors in the exhibition space.

Participating artists: Laura Aberham, Jan Albers, Vivian Greven, Erika Hock, Dietmar Lutz, André Niebur, Martin Pfeifle, Chris Reinecke, Hedda Schattanik and Roman Szczesny, Christoph Schellberg, Jörn Stoya, Tatjana Valsang

The exhibition is curated by Gregor Jansen, Jörg Schlürscheid, and Alicia Holthausen.

A publication will accompany the exhibition.

Hedda Schattanik and Roman Szczesny, Auf dem Weg zum Flughafen, 2021 (Detail)

Copyright the artists; Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf

Artists

Related Exhibition