In bookstores on November 25
The book Est-ce qu’un artiste peut-être heureux? will be available in bookstores on November 25. Written and illustrated by multidisciplinary artist Arizona O’Neill, the book features encounters between the author and 12 Quebec artists, including Klô Pelgag, Julie Doucet, Hubert Lenoir, Miss Me, Patrick Watson, Chloé Savoie-Bernard, Walter Scott, Laurence Philomène, Mirion Malle, Pascal Girard, Daphné B and Heather O’Neill, all of whom are asked the same question: “Can an artist be happy?
Is the quest for happiness a requirement dictated by psychology or an illusion created by consumer society, popular culture, and social networks? In any case, there is no single answer to happiness and knowing the elements that allow it to be instilled in us seems to be a key. Happiness is therefore more often a practice. We have all to varying degrees integrated this madness into the structure of our lives. But individuals who express pure satisfaction with the world and perfect harmony with it are sometimes seen as suspect. How did we build a culture totally oriented towards such an impossible and perhaps ultimately futile quest? Arizona O’Neill presents her reflections on happiness through the lens of twelve creators in order to get a clearer idea of the ethos of happiness among artists. Creative work may be the only sustainable happiness in the long run.
Arizona O’Neill is a multidisciplinary artist from Montreal, known for her directing and illustration work. She is very active in the Montreal art scene and has had her video productions shown on the web, in galleries, on the CBC, in flats and on the street. Her painted illustrations grace the window of the Mile End bookstore Drawn & Quarterly on a monthly basis. She has created original music videos in collaboration with artists such as Walter Scott, Laurence Philomène and Patrick Watson, and has been the literary director for two collectives.
