Happy Happy Joy Joy

Phebe Hermans | Mike Kelley | Nello Margodt | Bjarne Melgaard | Flexboj & L.A.

November 8 - December 14 2025 - Baudelostraat 23, 9000 gent

*Mike Kelley, ‘Turtle Girl’, 1990, stuffed toys, 63,50 x 38,20 x 22,80 cm. Matthys-Colle Collection, BE.*

BARBÉ is proud to present Happy Happy Joy Joy on view in our space at Baudelostraat 23, 9000 Gent from November 8 - December 14 2025 with works by international renowneded artists as Mike Kelley (USA) and Bjarne Melgaard (NO) in dialogue with our gallery artist duo Flexboj & L.A.(BE) and invited emerging artists Phebe Hermans (BE) and Nello Margodt (BE). The exhibition explores the tension between playfulness and unease. What appears cheerful and childlike at first glance such as brightly colored paintings and teddy bears, together with other seemingly innocent motifs, reveals a darker, unsettling undercurrent. The works balance between optimism and menace, between childlike joy and the disorienting atmosphere of trauma and a bad trip.