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Curatrice : Laurie De Chiara, ArtPod Berlin

Artists: Mathis Toussaint (LU), Sali Muller (LU), Guy Ben Ner (IL), Courtney Childress (US), Jeila Gueramian (US), Jennifer Dalton (US), Maxine Leu (Taiwan), Frederik Foert (DE), Stefanie Pöllot (DE), Björn Heyn (DE), Rachel Nelson, (US), Timo Kahlen (DE), Joseph Herscher (UK), Dustin Schenk (DE), Stefan Saffer (DE) and others.

Exhibition Text:

Life is a journey, and it brings us to all sorts of magical and amazing places. What makes us happy? Where are the small moments in life that briefly enchant us and make one smile? The moments of life when a small thing has great effects. It is a voyage of exploration to see what happens when you look at little longer or take a new perspective on a familiar view. We are all on a sort of “expedition” of life, if it is moments of self-reflection, getting lost in an artists’ created world or focusing on a detail, each offers the viewer a moment to take a step away and just enjoy.

Un Voyage dans le bonheur: An ongoing Journey…invites you to embark on a journey to yourself. You can find happiness in the discovery of something that allows you to engage in a unique situation and just wonder. Each artist in the exhibition takes the visitors on their journey; Jeila Guermian “builds worlds of wonder” with the aim to lose oneself in her cozy soft created environments; she says, “one is invited to…awaken their senses, feel like a kid, be in the moment, laugh or be a little scared, stop and ask a question, get involved in a fantasy, believe in the magical.” Fantasy guides Frederik Foerts’ works as he transforms everyday objects into narratives, animating them to motion studies ignoring the laws of physics. The imagery in Bjorn Heyn’s paintings transport one back in time to a childlike perspective of naivete and intrigue. Maxine Leu’s gnomes perched about the exhibition to set the stage of otherworldliness, where each character has a mission for a story to unfold within the galleries.

Playfulness is a significant component in Joseph Herscher’s videos, documenting his kinetic constructions that make comical chain-reaction machines to solve everyday problems using familiar objects in unfamiliar ways. “BlockTown” by Rachel Nelson calls for visitors to rely on themselves to take time to play and build their own worlds. Matis Toussaint uses creative freedom to tell open ended stories with his sculptures, so the viewer needs to make their own connections.

Timo Kahlen’s sound sculpture fills the space with a curious presence. The interactive mobile of Stefan Saffer invites one to throw ping pong balls at it to animate the sound and motion. Everyone is allowed to draw with the huge crayon rock of Courtney Childress adding to the communal carpet artwork. Jennifer Dalton’s work encourages viewers to take and wear stickers that described their state of mind while visiting the exhibition, these take-away mementos are shared with the public as a performance interaction. Stepping into Sali Muller’s material environment plays with the senses altering the gallery setting and mood. As visitors wander through the exhibition the range of interactions and experiences provide for a fantastical art journey of inspire exploration.

ArtPod Berlin is an internationally focused organization that promotes accessible, direct and unconventional interaction between contemporary art and a wide range of audiences. A goal is to free contemporary art from the preciousness and allow visitors of all ages a moment of smile and engage in the experience. ArtPod seeks to engage visitors and foster an open-ended dialogue, imaginative exploration, and hands-on play. By reigniting the relationship between education and the art experience, ArtPod aims to support and develop the visitor’s creative voice.

Making the art accessible in order to immerse oneself in it with the invitation to play with new experiences. Un Voyage dans le bonheur is intended to appeal to a new audience, who may have a more circuitous path to feel comfortable with art. Because « art is life – life is art » (quote Wolf Vostell). With this in mind – Welcome and Bon Voyage!