LIFE IS GREAT/LIFE ISN`T FUNNY

In this work, the artist playfully depicts the spectrum of emotional states in a simple, striking, and humorously profound image. The work is made up of two balloon sculptures, one in the castle courtyard and its counterpart in the park behind the building. Both balloons seem to have gotten caught in a tree, which is a common occurrence – for example, when a child mistakenly lets one go or when an entire bunch of balloons are released during a large celebration (weddings are also held at Schloss Morsbroich).
One balloon remains inflated, floating upward with the message Life is Great written on its surface. The other seems to have run out of helium — it hangs limp from a branch and reports that Life Isn’t Funny.
Of course, both statements are correct and anyone who walks past would be able to relate to them. Regardless of the chronological sequence, everyone will have already felt like a joyful rising or a miserable sinking balloon at least once in his or her life –probably more than once, and maybe even as both in quick succession.
As such, the viewer is tasked with connecting the two parts of the sculpture with an emotional link: “The spatial and cognitive entanglement of both balloons to the biography of an individual takes place through the viewer. Ultimately, the installation shows the emotional state of a single balloon. Since the notion of “up one minute and down in the next” always involves both a spatial and temporal distance between the two states, the work also reflects our own, constantly changing emotional world.” (Werner Reiterer)