Joy

15 July 2021 – 27 March 2022

Past

Free
Exhibition

Photograph of a man wearing a face mask exploring an exhibition gallery space. He is wearing a white t-shirt with thin black horizontal stripes and jeans. His hands are clasped behind his back. The gallery around him has a warm yellow and pink tone. Directly in front of him is a large photographic print of a person in full length, frozen in a performative pose. Hung on the wall to the right is a cluster of 6 framed pen and ink drawings, 3 across by 2 high, showing in one a skull, in another a bird cage and in another a series of hands.

An unconventional perspective on the types of things that make us feel good
Science

Explore the diversity of euphoric experiences and the effect of positive emotion on the body.

Joy is uplifting. It can be intense but brief, and leaves you wanting more. Some find joy while losing themselves on the dance floor, others while catching up with friends over a meal.

This exhibition shares with you a diversity of euphoric experiences and the effect of positive emotion on the body. Joy can bring catharsis, build resilience and bring people together.

New commissions by Harold Offeh, Amalia Pica and David Shrigley, plus artworks and historical objects dating back to the 15th century, guide you along some of the many paths to joy that different communities have sought, even in difficult times.

Exhibition highlights

Photograph of an exhibition gallery space showing white walls and a wooden floor. On the right hand wall are 5 narrow shelves holing 15 stacks of an exhibition guide with the word, 'Joy' written in large red letters above a blue band. On the centre and right walls is the large title 'Joy' also written in red and yellow combined colours. Around the title are are 3D grid structure like wall studding spread across the walls. The front edge of this studding is painted in orange, red, blue and yellow colours. — 1 of 12
Joy is connected to heightened emotional states such as ecstasy, euphoria and pleasure. These feelings can pass quickly, often leaving us wanting more. Expressions of joy such as laughter can release tension and mitigate the effect of stress on the body.

Photograph of a glass exhibition display case showing an open printed book, held in a book cradle. The book is in landscape orientation and on the upper page is an etching of two characters, one crying and rubbing their eyes and the other holding a flagon of beer and smiling. — 2 of 12
This engraving by Timothy Bobbin – the pseudonym of the artist John Collier – is a caricature of Charles Le Brun’s ‘Passions of the Soul’, displayed in the ’Tranquillity’ exhibition. Bobbin renders his drawings of expressions more crudely than Le Brun, transferring the action to a pub. One character is weeping, which elicits a broad smile from his companion.

Photograph of an exhibition gallery space showing two walls meeting at right angles and a wooden floor. One the left hand wall is an information panel and bench seat. On the right hand wall is a projection of four large vertical photographs placed side to side, each monotone, but with a bright yellow tone overlaid. Each image shows an individual in a performative pose. The overall tones of the projection and the gallery walls are yellows. — 3 of 12
The dance floor promises a moment of euphoric release. Harold Offeh has collaborated with the choreographer Vânia Gala on a series of online workshops bringing together different artists to explore the restorative qualities of dance. Originally proposed before the pandemic, the commission was reconfigured due to physical distancing guidelines. The dancers’ movements are produced in response to a series of instructions such as shaking, passing out and dancing in slow motion. The work considers the complex relationship between societal trauma and public manifestations of dance.

Photograph of an exhibition gallery showing a section of light pink coloured wall on which a framed print in a wooden frame has been hung. In a window mount within the frame is a colourful drawing of a woman dancing the tarantella, one arm raised over her head, one leg raised. — 4 of 12
The name of the Italian folk dance, Tarantella, comes from the word ‘tarantism’, a condition attributed to the bite of a spider, dating back to the 11th century. Those who had supposedly been bitten, usually women, would feel sickness and fatigue before becoming catatonic. Musicians would play uplifting melodies with increasing tempo until the victim began a frenzied dance. It was thought that this would expel the venom from the body.

Photograph of a glass exhibition display case showing an open printed book, held in a book cradle. The open double page spread shows text on the left page and 6 circular portraits of people's expressions on the right. — 5 of 12
Charles Darwin’s influential book 'The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals' was one of the first studies to bring together ideas about emotion and evolution, and to define emotions as biological. In this chapter, ‘Joy, High Spirits, Love, Tender Feelings, Devotion’, Darwin documents different reflexive smiles, comparing them to similar displays of behaviour in animals.

Photograph of an exhibition gallery space showing a section of light pink coloured wall, on which is hung a large colour photographic print. The print shows a sunny holiday camp scene with a large swimming pool in the foreground and a 1930 building in the background with the large words 'Our true intent is all for your delight' across the front. In the foreground a man wearing swimming trunks has been photography in mid air as he falls backwards into the pool. Behind the section of wall the rest of the gallery space can be seen in the distance. — 6 of 12
The photographer Barry Lewis documented Butlin’s holiday resort in Skegness during an editorial assignment in the 1980s. Taken from his series, this image captures the carefree spirit of relaxing on holiday. The motto “Our true intent is all for your delight” is a quote from Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and adorns every Butlin’s camp, acting as a guiding principle for the package-holiday operator.

Photograph of an exhibition gallery space showing a section of light pink coloured wall on which a large colourful oil painting has been hung. The painting shows a family portrait of a seated mother with a young child on her lap and a standing father figure. The background of the painting is shades of blue with a window out to a yellow background with black leaf motifs. — 7 of 12
Joy Labinjo’s paintings are inspired by a stash of family photographs she found at her parents’ house. The images depict her extended family in Nigeria and in the UK, where she was born. They reflect on African diaspora experience and domestic life, and explore intergenerational family dynamics. Family portraits typically depict a moment of harmonious familial happiness.

Photograph in an exhibition gallery showing a section of light pink coloured wall on which six framed prints in wooden frames have been hung. Each frame contains a black ink line drawing on white paper. The drawings are in a comic style and show, a hand controlling a small figure with strings like a puppet, a grid of snakes, a bowl of noodles and chop sticks, a man eating, a cat playing with a ball and a grid of hearts. — 8 of 12
Throughout the gallery David Shrigley presents a new series of drawings that respond to everyday moments of joy. While his topics are far-reaching, Shrigley’s deliberately crude black-and-white drawings are deceptive in their simplicity. His subjects often include dark and complex themes that suggest laughter is a moment of reprieve as well as a coping strategy for difficulty.

Photograph of an exhibition glass display case showing an old, thick open manuscript, held in a book cradle. The open double page spread shows annotated diagrams of a human form, one on each page. — 9 of 12
This is an Islamic medical encyclopedia transcribed in Isfahan, Iran, in 1632. It contains the research of the physician Abu Ali Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), who lived between 980 and 1037 CE, and remained a medical authority for centuries. The page shows an anatomical drawing of the digestive and nervous systems, which was where he considered psychological problems such as grief and melancholy to originate. This theory resonates with contemporary research into the connection between intestinal and mental health.

Photograph of a glass exhibition display case showing four colourful thin books laid out side by side, left to right. The covers contain text and abstract splodges of colourful shapes. — 10 of 12
The ‘Spice Islands Cookbook’ contains international recipes and instructions on how to set up a dinner club with friends. These booklets were designed by the educator and nun Corita Kent, and contain quotes on happiness from philosophers around the world. Using a colourful and painterly style, Kent’s art spread positive messages and addressed themes of social justice and community.

Photograph of an exhibition gallery space showing white walls and a wooden floor. Leaning against the left side wall are several placards on long wooden sticks. Painted on the placards are different coloured triangles. The placards together make the triangles look like bunting strung between the placards. On the wall to the right is a large information text panel. — 11 of 12
‘Procession for eighteen’ incorporates placards that have been pasted with colourful triangles. They lean against the wall as if left over from a march. When together, they create a line of bunting that recalls a street party and becomes a sign for protest and celebration simultaneously. The work suggests that political positivity can serve a progressive function.

Photograph of an exhibition gallery showing a framed print hung on a cream coloured wall. The frame is black and mounted inside is a black and white photograph showing an aerial view of people on the ground holding hands and forming a circle, within which are clusters of people representing two eyes and a mouth. Together they all make a large smilie face. — 12 of 12
From Acid House to Extinction Rebellion, many movements have embraced the smiley as a symbol of both activism and positivity. This photograph documents an anti-Vietnam War protest by college students at the University of Maryland. By the early 1970s the war had persisted for more than a decade and US protests had become increasingly violent. In response, Steve Budman and the other students formed an impromptu smiley face as a powerful and peaceful statement.

Gallery guides

A complete set of gallery captions is available to read online. Large-print captions are also available in the gallery.
Our digital gallery guide for ‘Joy’ and ‘Tranquillity’ features 24 perspectives from medicine, science, religion and poetry, and audio descriptions of some artworks. It is available as audio, BSL and complete transcripts. Handsets are also available in the gallery, but we encourage you to bring your own device and headphones.
A family guide for people with children aged 3–11 is available in the gallery.

Joy

Exhibition highlights

Gallery guides

On Happiness

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