Press: CLAM MAGAZINE 26

p. 70 - HAPPINESS BY AKIM MONET - GermanyWhats your name? Akim Monet Where do you live? Berlin What do you do? I run an art gallery in Berlin and an high level international art advisory business Does your work make you happy? Installing a new exhibition fills me with joy; in the short moment in between the time I unpack the works and the moment right before the exhibition opens to the public, the works are mine to play with. Because my exhibitions are quite challenging juxtapositions between past and present -between the modern and the contemporary, when all the works are laid-out on the floor, I always think: how on earth am I going to manage installing them (creating a cohesive and balanced hanging). Then, as if by magic, an underlying rhythm makes itself heard, and the works {quote}place themselves{quote}. Then they are hung and lit: wow... But one must learn how to listen to the underlying music in art, Kandinsky in reverse... If not what would your dream job be? Perhaps that my dream job would be doing exactly what I do, but without the financial constraint. Nevertheless, coming-up with the money to finance my exhibitions and in fact managing to support my family through hard work does give me a non-negligible sense of pride. If you are in the creative world, how does happiness affect you, do you create better when happy? It is know that laughter provokes the creation of endorphins, which in turn fosters creativity. So yes, happiness is important. But the reverse is also true: concentrated hard work can bring results which then translate into happiness. It's like with luck: if one sits on the wayside hoping luck will come, maybe that it will never come -however, if one positions oneself, through hard work, to be in the right place at the right moment, then when luck comes, one is ready to recognize it -or be taken by luck, as the case may be! What is hapiness? Happiness is fulfillment, a sense that the result is bigger that the sum of all parts -a state of grace {quote}lo stato di grazia{quote} where all parts are in equilibrium . Is there a physical expression for happiness? The physical manifestation for happiness is the result of a positive surprise: an overwhelming sense of surprise which comes without warning and engulfs us - an overflow of goodness that defies logic. What is the différence between happiness & sadness? Happiness is sadness resolved. When was the last time you said ‘i am happy’ & why? I am happy every morning when I see my children, and every night when I put them to bed! They greet the day without any apprehension, and say good night with a sense of having milked the day for all it has to give. They are great teachers! Someone said ‘sadness is the key to happiness’ whats your take? Sadness is the key to happiness? Sure, for the obvious reasons having to do with the comparison of states. But there can be great happiness in sadness -this is more related to getting to the bottom of ones emotions, feeling alive, but also letting go. It's the whole meaning of {quote}bitter-sweet{quote}... When people say ‘ i want to be happy ‘ do you know what they mean? People who say 'I want to be happy' really mean 'I want to be fulfilled'. Why are sad songs so popular? A sad song allows us to tap feelings that are deeply buried, unresolved sentiments that we may otherwise not allow ourselves to address. In this way sad songs can give us a sense of catharsis, that's why they are so popular. Is there any question you would have liked me to ask you? I don't like written interviews because I like people too much, and I therefore cherish the moment of the exchange. Nevertheless, I have to admit that this moment spent with myself on this Sunday morning flight from Berlin to Nice, answering your questions on my iPad, has forced me to think, {quote}think from me to me{quote} about your questions... So there probably is a merit to a written interview. But no, I won't grace you with the good question you should have asked, that I will answer for you! Why did you Watch the olympics? I didn't really watch the Olympics -but the little I watched made me realize again how much I appreciate excellence in any discipline... Bullfights at not my thing! But I did attend a bullfight -only once, and even though I basically hated the whole exercise, I couldn't help being seduced by the beauty of the movements and the costumes and ceremony (it was the absolute high point of the yearly international Corrida season at Ronda -the city of Goya). Did you know half of the countries & their flags at the opening ceremony? I knew most of the countries at the opening ceremony, but not their flag. But what was important to me was not the individual flags but their diversity: unity in diversity!
CLAM MAGAZINE 26, Fall + Winter 2012 + 2013

p. 70 - HAPPINESS BY AKIM MONET - Germany 

Whats your name? Akim Monet Where do you live? Berlin What do you do? I run an art gallery in Berlin and an high level international art advisory business Does your work make you happy? Installing a new exhibition fills me with joy; in the short moment in between the time I unpack the works and the moment right before the exhibition opens to the public, the works are mine to play with. Because my exhibitions are quite challenging juxtapositions between past and present -between the modern and the contemporary, when all the works are laid-out on the floor, I always think: how on earth am I going to manage installing them (creating a cohesive and balanced hanging). Then, as if by magic, an underlying rhythm makes itself heard, and the works "place themselves". Then they are hung and lit: wow... But one must learn how to listen to the underlying music in art, Kandinsky in reverse... If not what would your dream job be? Perhaps that my dream job would be doing exactly what I do, but without the financial constraint. Nevertheless, coming-up with the money to finance my exhibitions and in fact managing to support my family through hard work does give me a non-negligible sense of pride. If you are in the creative world, how does happiness affect you, do you create better when happy? It is know that laughter provokes the creation of endorphins, which in turn fosters creativity. So yes, happiness is important. But the reverse is also true: concentrated hard work can bring results which then translate into happiness. It's like with luck: if one sits on the wayside hoping luck will come, maybe that it will never come -however, if one positions oneself, through hard work, to be in the right place at the right moment, then when luck comes, one is ready to recognize it -or be taken by luck, as the case may be! What is hapiness? Happiness is fulfillment, a sense that the result is bigger that the sum of all parts -a state of grace "lo stato di grazia" where all parts are in equilibrium . Is there a physical expression for happiness? The physical manifestation for happiness is the result of a positive surprise: an overwhelming sense of surprise which comes without warning and engulfs us - an overflow of goodness that defies logic. What is the différence between happiness & sadness? Happiness is sadness resolved. When was the last time you said ‘i am happy’ & why? I am happy every morning when I see my children, and every night when I put them to bed! They greet the day without any apprehension, and say good night with a sense of having milked the day for all it has to give. They are great teachers! Someone said ‘sadness is the key to happiness’ whats your take? Sadness is the key to happiness? Sure, for the obvious reasons having to do with the comparison of states. But there can be great happiness in sadness -this is more related to getting to the bottom of ones emotions, feeling alive, but also letting go. It's the whole meaning of "bitter-sweet"... When people say ‘ i want to be happy ‘ do you know what they mean? People who say 'I want to be happy' really mean 'I want to be fulfilled'. Why are sad songs so popular? A sad song allows us to tap feelings that are deeply buried, unresolved sentiments that we may otherwise not allow ourselves to address. In this way sad songs can give us a sense of catharsis, that's why they are so popular. Is there any question you would have liked me to ask you? I don't like written interviews because I like people too much, and I therefore cherish the moment of the exchange. Nevertheless, I have to admit that this moment spent with myself on this Sunday morning flight from Berlin to Nice, answering your questions on my iPad, has forced me to think, "think from me to me" about your questions... So there probably is a merit to a written interview. But no, I won't grace you with the good question you should have asked, that I will answer for you! Why did you Watch the olympics? I didn't really watch the Olympics -but the little I watched made me realize again how much I appreciate excellence in any discipline... Bullfights at not my thing! But I did attend a bullfight -only once, and even though I basically hated the whole exercise, I couldn't help being seduced by the beauty of the movements and the costumes and ceremony (it was the absolute high point of the yearly international Corrida season at Ronda -the city of Goya). Did you know half of the countries & their flags at the opening ceremony? I knew most of the countries at the opening ceremony, but not their flag. But what was important to me was not the individual flags but their diversity: unity in diversity!