Grant Stevens, Horizon of Happiness (still), 2023. Procedurally generated computer graphics with sound, Edition of 5 + 2 AP. Courtesy: the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney.

In Horizons of Happiness, Sydney artist Grant Stevens takes a deep dive into one of the twenty-first century’s most commanding obsessions: meditation.

Enter quietly, make yourself comfy on the carpet and settle in for the experience…

A computer-generated guided meditation, Horizons of Happiness has no beginning-middle-end, just a persistently soothing invitation to breath, relax, and be well; its content perpetually generating via an algorithm.

Stevens is renowned for his explorations of the ways digital technologies mediate our inner worlds and social realities. The artist notes that for many people today, happiness – defined as “an all-round sense of wholesome self-satisfaction and work-life-leisure perfection”, has become a never-ending target. “Feeling tired, bored, down, distracted, stressed, apathetic, lethargic – there are trademarked breathing exercises, meditation apps, fitness philosophies, eco-retreats, spa packages, and bespoke juice combinations to mend any deficiency.”

This insightful artwork, stemming from Stevens’ observations of the wellness industry and how it’s represented, marketed and engaged with en masse, speaks as much to marketing’s understanding of the “attention economy” and consumer behaviour, as it does to humanity’s quest for nirvana.

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