The “Happy Now” series of artworks is about the global shipping industry and the ongoing climate disaster caused by late-stage capitalism. 90% of everything we buy (to make us happy NOW) is made thousands of miles away by exploited workers in the east and shipped to the west in 15-story high, apartment building-sized container ships. The Covid-19 pandemic made me aware of the fragility of these supply chains, and I became obsessed with shipping disasters. Powerful ocean storms caused by global warming combine with ever-larger container ships that topple and toss 20 and 40-foot-long steel shipping containers overboard. They are left to drift in the ocean, full of valuables, to sink or to wash up on land.  I wonder, are we happy now?

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The floating containers are also symbols of humans and our relationships. We are all containers for our experiences and our love for others. In these pieces, two containers stay together while a third begins to float away. A group of five is floating in space, but one is moving from the group. We come and go, keep our attachments, or disconnect with bravery or fear. But are we happy now?

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