Finally, Something Good. · Stefan Sagmeister

With Finally, Something Good., Stefan Sagmeister presents an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and installations that give statistics a visual form. Across 800 m² at the Gaîté Lyrique, the Austrian designer incorporates data on health, food, climate and happiness into objects and images that visitors can engage with at eye level.

His focus is on long-term change. Drawing on data from sources including the UN and the World Bank, Sagmeister seeks to make visible shifts that daily news coverage sometimes overlooks. Figures are woven into old paintings, take on three-dimensional forms or unfold in projections. This interplay between art history and statistical representation runs through the exhibition’s eleven chapters.

In the section devoted to health, geometric shapes reflecting changes in mortality are incorporated into old portraits. Further on, a projection brings together predictions of the end of the world from centuries past. Environmental issues also take physical form: sculptures compare the effects of different actions on CO₂ emissions. Other rooms explore democracy, conflict and the gaps between perceptions of the state of the world and people’s self-reported well-being.

Thirteen years after The Happy Show, held at the same venue, Sagmeister continues his exploration of the relationships between design, emotion and our understanding of the world. Through its choices of form, scale and colour, the exhibition conveys his optimistic premise while inviting visitors to consider the stories data can tell. The Happy Film, a documentary about his personal search for happiness, concludes the exhibition.

Practical information
- Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–20:00; closed on Mondays.
- Last admission at 19:00, with an earlier last admission of 17:30 on Wednesday 18 November.
- The Happy Film: screenings at 11:45, 13:20, 14:55, 16:30 and 18:05; running time: 90 minutes.