Happiness in Mitte was a video installation by Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed. It depicts a number of cats drinking, one by one, from bowls of milk that the artist has left in an outdoor location, somewhere in Berlin. The cats look like strays, thin, tentative, anxious in their approaches, always watching out for danger as they enjoy their meals. They leave quickly when their hunger is satisfied.
Its subject matter is extremely simple and yet this work could not be more compelling. A dramatic tension arises out of a fine balance struck between the fulfilment of desire and insecurity, and in this respect it illustrates Abdessemed's essential humanism.
Please download the exhibition guide for Happiness in Mitte.
Adel Abdessemed (PDF 20kb)