Assembly presents "Bliss" by Alejandro Cartagena. In 2014, Cartagena documented the blissful moments of people and crowds in the middle of a live music concert. Cartagena wanted to feel their bliss. In retrospect, these are a self-portrait of someone Cartagena wanted to be: young, excited, and free. The artist asked the dancers to dance as if no one was watching to a tune in their heads. Now, in 2021, what Cartagena captured in these images feels like a time long passed—a time where we all were experiencing bliss. The 21 pieces that make up The Bliss Project are a symbolic gesture to portray our lives before the pandemic and to project optimism about the future.
