YES by Teddy Hansen

Mixed media on canvas. 
2024 

This painting is part of FATHERLAND, an exhibition by Teddy Hansen.

Maybe Danish people are happy because of the weird way they sometimes say “yes”?

Sometimes, when Danes say “yes,” they do it on the inhale rather than the exhale. I wanted to look at how this could help someone and subsequently make them happy.

The painting follows the story of a jaguar that has escaped from the circus into a park. Someone in the park shouts, “There’s a jaguar in the park! Can someone help?” to which a man gasps in shock. The person has mistaken the gasp for someone inhaling “yes,” and so the man is forced to remove the jaguar.

He crouches on the floor with a dandelion on his head as a disguise to get close to the big cat. He holds a large net, which he has set alight using a match. Thinking he is back in the circus, the jaguar jumps through the net, resembling a flaming circus hoop. Now a hero, the man receives roses for his bravery.

This is an example of how saying “yes” could bring you happiness.