Anarchic in its humor, caustic in its view of peasant life, Happiness defies easy categorization or definition. The painted backdrops inspired by Russian wood prints evoke the atmosphere of a Russian folk tale and give the action a curious theatricality. Medvedkin’s surreal silent comedy tells the story of a peasant named Khmyr and his wife Anna as they try to discover the meaning of happiness. The narrative unfolds over an unrealistic amount of time, taking the couple from pre-Revolutionary days to the time of Stalin and collectivization. Throughout the film, the happiness of the couple is thwarted by a series of absurd and surreal events, including a horse unwilling to do its work, neighbours who steal their entire granary, and Tsarist officers who arrest a suicidal Khmyr, asking him “if the peasant dies, who will feed Russia?” One of the most famous scenes features the arrival of members of the Orthodox Church, including nuns in see-through outfits and a clearly corrupt priest who has arrived to collect taxes from Khmyr and his wife.
Trailer
Inspired by the exhibition And Now the Good News, which focusing on the relationship between mass media and art, we prepared horoscope readings based on the chapters of the exhibition. Using the popular astrological language inspired by the effects of the movements of celestial bodies on people, these readings with references to the works in the exhibition make fictional future predictions inspired by the horoscope columns that we read in the newspapers with the desire to receive good news about our day.
Our institutions have been stuck on linear Neo-Platonic tracks for 24 centuries. These antiquated processes of deduction have lost their authority. Just like art it has fallen off its pedestal. Legal, educational and constitutional systems rigidly subscribe to these; they are 100% text based.
Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 - 19:00
Friday 10:00 - 22:00
Sunday 12:00 - 18:00
The museum is closed on Mondays.
On Wednesdays, the students can
visit the museum free of admission.
Full ticket: 100 TL
Discounted: 50 TL
Groups: 80 TL (minimum 10 people)