Christopher Wiilliams: The Production Line of Happiness @ MoMA

The Production Line of Happiness scheduled to open Monday, is more intriguing for its curatorial format than perhaps the culmination of the work.  Christopher Williams (Amer. b. 1956) love for photography is infectious.  This is largely due to his manipulation of vivid primary colors, particularly yellows & reds which draw you into the photos & sparks your imaginative input.  The exhition consists primarily of Williams' photos but there are playful architectural partitions which enhances the focus onto the works.  Before entering the exhibit, the entrance is painted in stoplight red with large print giving a timeline for Williams works & gallery exhibitions.  There is a stack of red pamphlets that will curate the exhibit as you walk through the galleries.  The artwork inside are mounted without any plaques or written information on the walls except for large architectural structures with large text that is not entirely decipherable.  I glanced at the verbse brochure & chose not to read it or bring it with me. Other patrons were more preoccupied reading their leaflets rather than engaging with the art.  The 1st photo as you enter is of 3 colored buttons, red, yellow, green and a finger on the green button; a witty  start.  There are numerous black/white photos of landscapes & plants, making the singular colorful floral photo appear glowing.  The black/white photos of Hoover dam reminded me of works by Ansel Adams.  There were photos of supergraphic structures which evoked solitude.   These photos were in opposition to the last gallery which held Williams' iconic colored photo of attractive woman with a yellow towel wrapped around exuding radiance.  The last wall of the gallery in the corner, was a black/white photo of a black man in white shirt holding a camera facing outwards with a resplendent smile.  The Production Line of Happiness is a reminder - we are all creators of our own happiness.