Discussion “Tyranny of Positive Thinking”

Discussion “Tyranny of Positive Thinking”: Eva Illouz, Aaron Shuster, Boris Klyushnikov, moderator Natalia Protasenya
International discussion “Tyranny of Positive Thinking” is included in the discussion cycle "Salon of Rejected Categories" of the educational program of the VII Moscow International Biennale for Young Art. The curator of the cycle Andrey Shental.
The educational program was developed with The Winzavod Fund For The Support of Contemporary Art. Russian version see: link
Andrey Shental about discussion:
Neologism “happycracy” defines a society that is governed by a positive mindset and imperative to enjoy. Popular psychology teaches us to defeat negative thoughts, while positive education - to suppress negative thinking as incompatible with development of entrepreneurial skills. Positive vibes - is a marketable commodity of service economy, while smiling worker signifies client-oriented approach and commercial success. The very condition of happyness is produced today by the entire industry: from star coaches, training and online-maraphons to manuals and motivational quotations. Those who are unable to develop emotional intellect could resort to psychotherapy and serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Nevertheless, despite such an emanation of happiness, the mere statistics testifies to a progressive increase in depression and number of suicides even in prosperous countries. Compared to Kulturindustrie, media and social networks, art remains one of the last “free ports” emancipated from the tyranny of everything positive. If negativity was the key category of modernism (for instance, distorting recognizable patterns), then the last thing that contemporary art could ever be accused of is the emotional serving of its public. As “master of negativity” Theodor Adorno once claimed, art’s positivity contains in its opposite, as if art “art wanted to prevent the catastrophe by conjuring up its image.