Happiness in Mitte

Seven screens show each a different video in a loop: in each, a cat drinks from a bowl of milk placed on the floor of an empty paddling pool. The title refers to the German city of Mitte where Adel Abdessemed lived when he created this work. It also alludes to the happiness of being unexpectedly able to satisfy an instinctive need.

The artist's work has an undeniable sensuous dimension. Indeed, his seeks to “invert perspectives, turn away from banality and open the door to another reality, that of pleasure and desire.” The video installation Happiness in Mitte, by triggering empathy and addressing a universal theme—hunger and satiety—, furthers this quest.

This work by Adel Abdessemed was first shown by the Pinault Collection in the exhibition The Passage of Time at the Tri Postal in Lille, in 2007-2008.