「Eudaemonia」

From August 24 to September 22, 2024, Gallery Common is pleased to present “Eudaemonia,” a group exhibition of twelve upcoming Japanese artists: Souya Handa, Yuuka Ishii, Chiaki Kainuma, Taro Maruyama, Rika Minamitani, Tomohiro Muramatsu, Satoshi Okano, Tomu Osaki, Gorilla Park, Hinako Suda, Hiro Tsuchiya, and Ryota Watanabe. Reflecting the increasingly bizarre nature of our current times with wit and eccentricity, these diverse artists congregate for the first time to continue the age-old quest for human purpose and fulfillment.

Eudaemonia is the Greek term for the Aristotelian concept of “the good life”: the process of realizing one’s true nature by living a life guided by virtue and reason. The idea emphasizes that one should live in a way that is most suited to one’s unique skills in order to achieve well-being, fulfillment, and happiness.

The idea strikes one as quaint now, some 2,400 years after Aristotle preached his philosophy. The things which Aristotle warned would impede us from achieving true fulfillment– money, fame, power, pleasure– are the very things we now idolize. A bleak observer might come to the conclusion that the concept of eudaemonia itself has become irrelevant in a world that seems to be rooted in ego and chaos.

Attaining eudaemonia within this absurd landscape seems nigh impossible; and yet, the desire to achieve some higher end goal by discovering the true nature and potential of oneself and the world continues to fuel the artistic pursuit. It seems we have come full circle and arrived, once more, back at the original question: what is the point of making this stuff?

The works in this show straddle the event horizon between naiveté and irony, narrative and nonsense. Fragmented and surreal, bizarre yet humorous, dissatisfied yet hopeful, they reflect the complex emotions that define our current generation; but perhaps, at their core, they still seek the same things as those virtuous, antiquated artworks of 350 BC. The landscape has changed, but the human struggle for meaning and fulfillment continues.

So what do any of these artworks have to do with eudaemonia? Each of these artists confronts the question in their own way. We hope you’ll find more than just one answer here.