Linda Zhengová – Maybe, Happiness Is…

Maybe, Happiness Is…

What does happiness mean? What is the emblem of uttermost freedom? Can it be described in words, or perhaps through photography?

For Zhengová, the search began in 2022, when she made the radical decision to leave her studio in The Hague without fully understanding why. She only knew she did not feel happy. She moved to Amsterdam instead, drifting nomadically from place to place. These circumstances allowed her to open herself to new energies and encounters: affective exchanges with strangers, fleeting and pure moments. Since then, she has crossed geographical borders in pursuit of happiness, hovering on the thin line between sanity and madness. In this quest for joy, she presents a contradiction: an intangible idea meant for reflection.

The crux of the project lies in her interactions with strangers, gathering their impressions of happiness through spontaneous conversations. By beginning with the phrase Maybe, Happiness Is…, she invites others to share their views while documenting her own evolving definition. This fluid, collaborative process intertwines her internal dialogue with shared human experience.

The project shifted the focus of her artistic practice toward process rather than outcome. Her research weaves together personal reflections, diaristic entries, and influences from Adlerian psychology and existential philosophy. Together, these elements question whether happiness can be universally defined or whether it remains an elusive, deeply personal construct.

Linda Zhengová was nominated to Futures Talents by Fotograf Zone in 2026.

Co-funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union, FUTURES is a platform to increase the capacity, mobility and visibility of it's selected artists and to bridge the gap between emerging and established artists.

All images | Linda Zhengová, Maybe, Happiness Is…, 2022–2025