Joymaxxing

Martyna Modzelewska’s Joymaxxing occupies the intersection of digital subcultures, affective resistance, and the reclamation of play. The suffix -maxxing implies the pathological optimization of the self (e.g., looksmaxxing). Joymaxxing subverts this algorithmic anxiety, pivoting instead toward radical well-being and psychological autonomy. For Modzelewska, the daily practice of drawing is an intuitive, raw tool for parsing immediate emotions. Shifting from the demands of "high art" to a private auto-dialogue, she expands the medium into the physical realm. A dense constellation of drawings operates alongside painted typography, plastic spheres, and vernacular ephemera, transforming the gallery into a three-dimensional, immersive gesture. Joymaxxing stands as a refusal to participate in the neoliberal race of hyper-productivity. Evoking Jacques Rancière’s assertion that humans achieve their fullest humanity through play, the exhibition frames the suspension of societal contracts as a liberating act. Ultimately, Modzelewska prompts a critical question: what does it mean to witness another’s unmediated joy in a world predicated on exhaustion?