Paul Chan's Early Animation 'Happiness (Finally)' Screened in LA Exhibition
Paul Chan's latest digital animation, "Happiness (Finally) After 35,000 Years of Civilization," debuted in the "What a Wonderful World: An Audiovisual Poem" exhibition at the Variety Arts Theater in Los Angeles from February 6 to March 20, 2026. This 17-minute piece utilizes Flash techniques developed during Chan's studies at Bard College and features influences from Henry Darger’s artwork and Charles Fourier's socialist ideas. The animation juxtaposes serene joyfulness with sudden violence, questioning the sustainability of utopian ideals. It was presented alongside Méliès's historic film "A Trip to the Moon," both reflecting on themes of escape and technological evolution amid societal tensions.
Key facts
- Paul Chan's animation 'Happiness (Finally) After 35,000 Years of Civilization' was created 2000–2003.
- The work is a 17-minute looping digital animation made with Flash techniques.
- It was created during Chan's MFA at Bard College.
- The animation draws on Henry Darger's imagery and Charles Fourier's utopian ideas.
- It was shown at the Variety Arts Theater in Los Angeles from February 6 to March 20, 2026.
- The exhibition was organized by the Julia Stoschek Foundation.
- The piece was paired with Georges Méliès's 'A Trip to the Moon' (1902).
- The work reflects on utopia, war, and post-9/11 anxieties.
Entities
Artists
- Paul Chan
- Henry Darger
- Charles Fourier
- Georges Méliès
Institutions
- Julia Stoschek Foundation
- Bard College
- Variety Arts Theater
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Chicago
- France