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Happy!

October 27, 2019 – October 11, 2020

Exhibition

Image Gallery

Mark Rothko
Christina Forrer, Baby, 2019,
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Oil on canvas Framed: 86 3/4 in x 80 3/4 in x 4 1/4 in / 220.345 cm x 205.105 cm x 10.795 cm; Object: 81 in x 75 in / 205.74 cm x 190.5
Ladybug, 2018 Oil, plaster, glue paper and flour on canvas Object: 40 in x 40 in / 101.6 cm x 101.6 Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection
Rob Pruitt, Us, 2013 Acrylic, enamel, and flocking on linen. Each (66): 29 1/2 in x 23 1/2 in / 74.93 cm x 59.69; Courtesy of Rosa & Carlos de la Cruz, Key Biscayne, FL © Rob Pruitt
Rob Pruitt, Us, 2013 Acrylic, enamel, and flocking on linen. Each (66): 29 1/2 in x 23 1/2 in / 74.93 cm x 59.69; Courtesy of Rosa & Carlos de la Cruz, Key Biscayne, FL © Rob Pruitt (detail)
Kenny Scharf
Keith Haring (b. 1958, Reading, PA; d. 1990, New York, NY) Untitled (3 Eye Smiley Face), 1982 Enamel on sheet metal 9 ¼ x 35 7/8 inches Private Collection, Florida © Keith Haring Foundation
Esther Phillips (b. 1902, Russia; d. 1983, New York, NY) Jungle Gym, Late 1940s - early 1950s Casein and watercolor on paper Framed: 16 in x 17 in / 40.64 cm x 43.18 Private Collection of Renée and Richard Goldman
Andy Warhol (b. 1928, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; d. 1987, New York, New York) Silver Clouds, 1966 Foil, air, helium
Alake Shilling (b. 1993, Los Angeles, CA; lives and works in Los Angeles, CA) Nickey Mouse Vase, 2018 Clay and glaze 6 inches Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection © Alake Shilling
Esther Phillips (b. 1902, Russia; d. 1983, New York, NY) Merry Go Round, Late 1940s early 1950s Casein and watercolor on paper Framed: 20 x 22 inches Private Collection of Renée and Richard Goldman
Happy
Keith Haring (b. 1958, Reading, PA; d. 1990, New York, NY) Untitled (Pink Smiling Face), 1981 Baked enamel on sheet metal 48 x 48 inches Private Collection Courtesy The Brant
Francesco Clemente (b. 1952, Naples, Italy; lives and works in NYC and Madras, India) A Little Higher, 2015 Watercolor, miniature painting on paper 18 x 24 inches NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale; purchased with funds provided by Michael and Dianne Bienes by exchange, 2017.2 © Francesco Clemente
Rob Pruitt (b. 1964, Washington, DC; lives and works in New York, NY), Untitled, 2012, Glitter and enamel on linen. 80 x 60 inches © Rob Pruitt
Frances Trombly, Confetti, 2015
KAWS(b. 1974, Jersey City, NJ; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) COMPANION (Passing Through), 2011 Painted bronze 48 x 25 inches Collection of the Artist © KAWS
Ragnar Kjartansson (b. 1976, Reykjavik, Iceland; lives and works in Reykjavik, Iceland) God, 2007 Video Video Time: 30 minutes 7 seconds Music by Davð Þór Jónsson and Ragnar Kjartansson Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami; Museum Purchase with funds provided by POP Bollywood © Ragnar Kjartansson; Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik. Photo: Rafael Pinho
FriendsWithYou (art collaborative founded 2002, Miami, Fl; active in Los Angeles, CA) Unified Field II, 2019 Plastiline clay, plexiglass 120 x 80 x 2 inches Courtesy of the artists © FriendsWithYou
Jorge Pantoja, Alley, 2019. Courtesy of Jorge Pantoja © Jorge Pantoja
Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Happy, 1999. The Collection of John & Amy Phelan © Tim Noble & Sue Webster
Little Cloud
Happy! Exhibition
Yoko Ono, Wish Tree, 1981-2019. Image Credit Downtown Photo.
Yoko Ono, Wish Tree, 1981-2019. Image Credit Downtown Photo.
KAWS, Brown COMPANION, 2006. COMPANION: Passing Through (Gray), 2013. Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, 2010. Small Lie (Black), 2013.
KAWS, Brown COMPANION, 2006. COMPANION: Passing Through (Gray), 2013. Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, 2010. Small Lie (Black), 2013.

Download Exhibition Text PDF

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale presents Happy!, a new exhibition of contemporary works produced by artists who aim to engage the viewer emotionally. As in life, sorrow and happiness are intertwined in their works. Happy! is organized by NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale and is curated by Bonnie Clearwater, the Museum’s Director and Chief Curator, who states, “Many of these artists acknowledge that making art is an essential means for them to work out their own trauma and frustrations, and they suggest that art can provide viewers with a sense of well-being that will help them cope with life’s challenges.”

Happy! includes works by Gesner Abelard, Kathryn Andrews, Cory Arcangel, Eugene Brands, Francesco Clemente, Tracey Emin, Christina Forrer, FriendsWithYou, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Adler Guerrier, Keith Haring, Asger Jorn, Samson Kambalu, KAWS, Ragnar Kjartansson, Susan Te Kahurangi King, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Ernesto Neto, Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Yoko Ono, Jorge Pantoja, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Enoc Perez, Esther Phillips, Fernand Pierre, Richard Prince, Rob Pruitt,  Mark Rothko, Robert Saint-Brice, Kenny Scharf, Alake Shilling, Alma Thomas, Frances Trombly, Andy Warhol, and others. The exhibition will be on view at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale through October 11, 2020.

Happy! follows a multigenerational trajectory from the mid-twentieth century to today. Among the earliest works included are two paintings by Mark Rothko: The Party, 1938, depicting a children’s celebration, and an untitled 1956 abstract canvas. Rothko’s thoughts about the nature of emotions in art provide the underlying theme of the exhibition. In a lecture delivered in 1958 in New York, Rothko declared that he meant his paintings to encompass the full range of emotions, and that he introduced “wit and play” and “hope” into his work to make the “tragic concept” of the human condition “more endurable.”

Although the color combination of vivid red, blue and yellow in Rothko’s Untitled, 1956, is unusual for his classic paintings, the coloration is strikingly similar to Matisse’s Joy of Life (Le bonheur de vivre), 1905, which suggests Rothko was aiming to convey the joy of life in his painting. The Party, 1938, also includes the distinctive high-key red, blue, and yellow coloration of Untitled, 1956, further suggesting that Rothko associated this color combination with moments of joy.

“For many of these artists, art-making is a way to channel sadness, stress, depression, and trauma. Their acts of creation reward them with a sense of euphoria or hope,” notes Clearwater. “Even when faced with a hopeless situation, they can usually find a creative solution.”

Cory Arcangel brings Rothko’s philosophical approach up to date by using wit and humor to denigrate technology for failing to deliver on its promise of progress. In his digital work on view, Arcangel modified the video game Super Mario Bros. so the protagonist has no means for escape. In this video, which runs as an infinite loop, Mario is stuck for all eternity on a cube. Mario’s dilemma is at once pathetic yet cathartic to watch, as viewers find themselves empathizing with his predicament. “For Arcangel, the creation of this and other works provided a constructive means to address his own frustrations,” says Clearwater.

Among other artists who address the subject of hope are Miami artist Jorge Pantoja and British artist Tracey Emin. Pantoja celebrated his emergence from a long period of apathy, which had inhibited him from working, when he painted Over the Hill and Far Away, 2018, in which his depiction of Spider-Man leaping into the void represents his own newfound excitement in jumping into what Pantoja calls “the friendly unknown.” Regarding Emin, Clearwater points out that “Emin has stated that she cannot work from happiness. Her early film Why I Never Became a Dancer, 1995, is a story of her triumph through art over personal trauma and humiliations.” The film ends with the artist alone in her studio, dancing like a whirling dervish to the disco beat of Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).” In the final scene, the artist looks out at the audience with a broad smile, giving a wink and two thumbs up as a bird ascends to the sky.

The exhibition also looks at archetypal symbols of happiness such as the smile, the rainbow, and clouds. Rob Pruitt’s 132 Rothko-like colorfield paintings are inscribed with smile emojis, and Yoko Ono’s A Box of Smile opens to reflect the viewer’s smile in its mirror.

Andy Warhol’s 1966 installation Silver Clouds is literally the “silver lining” that promises better times. Works by the art collective FriendsWithYou include a monumental inflatable rainbow and a major installation of their iconic character, Little Cloud. FriendsWithYou describes the floating Little Cloud as a symbol with the power to move the anxious viewer to a relaxed and joyous state by offering a positive message of happiness and connectivity.

Cartoon and manga characters and cuddly animals, often signifiers of childhood joy, also emphasize an upbeat outlook in the works of artists such as Keith Haring, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Kenny Scharf, Susan Te Kahurangi King, and Alake Shilling. KAWS’ bronze statue COMPANION (PASSING THROUGH), conversely transforms a universal pop icon of happiness, into his alter-ego COMPANION character to express his own feelings of mortification and remorse. Other artists use symbols of celebration, such as confetti, employed by Frances Trombly, and caviar, used by Enoc Perez, as emblems of transitory emotional states experienced before and after joyous occasions.

The power of music, dance, song, spirituality, sex, and psychedelic drugs are harnessed by several of the featured artists, including Tracey Emin, Keith Haring, Ragnar Kjartansson, Richard Prince, and Kenny Scharf, while the generous gesture of gift-giving and healing (acts that give both the artist and viewer pleasure) motivated Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Samson Kambalu and Ernesto Neto. Several of these artists recognize the importance of play as a biological necessity that leads to increased happiness. As Clearwater notes, “Warhol intended visitors to his Silver Clouds installations to interact with the buoyant helium-filled reflective pillows. As they walk through the space the pillows rise and fall, creating an atmosphere of blissful enjoyment.” Kenny Scharf similarly provides the viewer with a mind-altering experience in his signature Cosmic Cavern, an immersive day-glo, multi-sensory installation that mixes Pop art with the hedonistic 1980s club and disco culture.

One section of the exhibition focuses on artists who reclaimed the joy of art-making that they experienced as children, eliminating the rules of art altogether so they could achieve a more immediate level of expression. These include several Cobra artists, such as Eugene Brand and Asger Jorn, whose works are drawn from NSU Art Museum’s extensive collection of this post-World War II art movement. Mark Rothko, who taught art to children from 1929 to 1952, and his contemporary, Esther Phillips, were formally trained in art, yet both chose to emulate the characteristics inherent in children’s art. Los Angeles artist Alake Shilling (born 1993, and the youngest artist in the exhibition) was inspired as a child by the work of Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and FriendsWithYou, and continues to tap her inner child in her paintings and sculptures.

Other artists in the exhibition imagine an existence in which sorrow and pain do not exist, including the representations of “Paradise before the Fall” by Haitian artist Gesner Abelard and Fernand Pierre. “Infancy is another state of oblivion,” states Clearwater. “This brief period of bliss is humorously disrupted in Christina Forrer’s tapestry Baby, in which a disembodied arm plucks a pink cherub out of the ether. The baby’s contorted grimace expresses its awakening to the horrors and tribulations of the human condition.”

Presenting sponsors of the exhibition are Dr. David and Linda Frankel and David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by Funding Arts Broward, Inc. Hotel partner, The Dalmar Hotel.

Exhibitions and programs at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale are made possible in part by a challenge grant from the David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation. Funding is also provided by the City of Fort Lauderdale, AutoNation, Community Foundation of Broward, Funding Arts Broward, Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is accredited by the American Association of Museums.

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Top Image: Rob Pruitt, Us (detail), 2013, Acrylic, enamel, and flocking on linen. Courtesy of Rosa & Carlos de la Cruz, Key Biscayne, FL. Copyright of Rob Pruitt

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William J. Glackens Seated Across with Mirror, c.1903. NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale; gift of the Sansom Foundation, Inc.William J. Glackens Seated Across with Mirror, c.1903. NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale; gift of the Sansom Foundation, Inc.

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