Ode to happiness

This is the eagerly awaited second edition of Ode to Happiness, a grown-up’s picture book and a charming reminder not to take oneself too seriously. With drawings by painter Alexandra Grant, text by actor Keanu Reeves, and in collaboration with mutual friend Janey Bergam, this facsimile artists’ book is about making the best of a bad situation. In the tradition of a classic “hurtin’ song”, Reeves’ text externalizes a melancholy internal monologue and subtly pokes fun at it. Grant’s images, delicately realised in sombre inky washes, reflect the dark and light, the pathos and humour of the text. Neither entirely earnest nor wholly ironic, Ode to Happiness is both a meditation and a gentle tease about how we cope with life’s sorrows. Los Angeles based artist Alexandra Grant uses language and words as the basis for her paintings, drawings and sculptures. Grant has exhibited at institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the California Biennial, Orange County Museum of Art, and the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore. She has collaborated with artists and writers including Michael Joyce and Hélène Cixous, and is a founding member of the Watts House Project in Los Angeles. Keanu Reeves, born in 1964 in Beirut, is a celebrated actor and writer. Reeves’ films include Point Break (1991), Speed (1994), The Matrix (1999) and the upcoming Jekyll. His theatrical roles include an acclaimed portrayal of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.