“Being Happy for no Reason”

1.3–30.5 2010
The exhibition gathers a number of site and context specific commissions conceived by the newest generation of Iranian artists, who have all been invited to produce works outside of the gallery space.

The exhibition takes place in various locations around the city, from shops, to streets and public places. It involves intervention in the public space, site-specific installations, mini-exhibitions and performances. The gallery itself serves as project’s headquarter and meeting place at the same time.

“Being Happy for no Reason” is based on two cross-discipinary exhibitions the Parkingallery realized in 2004 and 2006 – “deep depression” and “deeper depression”. The current project is influenced by a main aspect in Iranian urban culture: the negotiation habit while shopping. Having a chat with the shopkeepers, asking for advice, negotiating the price while trying to buy the product from someone you know, characterize typical shopping behaviour in Iran.

Based on this tradition, the project and its artists look for various people from any field throughout Teheran, who might be interested in showing their art. Shops, offices, even workshops are possible. Main part of the procedere is negotiating and deciding together wether to exhibit or not. Through this typical habit, the project takes a short cut to a broader audience, so art doesn’t get trapped in the elite circles for ever. Opening 4-5 venues across the city each month helps Parkingallery to reconnect itself with the mega city of Teheran, which nobody can claim to know completely any more.