Remember joy?

A Together In Art Pocket Exhibition curated by Jackie Dunn

Yes, to state the obvious, we all need a little joy right now. But offering works that make me happy may not do it for you. So how about some images of joy itself – the situations, the feelings, the bodily sensations – to remind us how it's done. Remember, it's easy. It'll come back to you in no time …

Jackie Dunn is special exhibitions curator at the Art Gallery of New South Wales

AGNSW collection Francis Alÿs Railings 2004

The joy of music. Could there be anything better than a stick, some railings and a pair of walking feet to make us feel the music? The always fabulous Francis Alÿs takes it to the streets of London in this playful intervention – part ramble, part performance.

AGNSW collection Barbara Morgan Children dancing by the lake 1940

The joy of play. These young dancers, photographed by Barbara Morgan in 1940, leap from the image to remind us of the profound joy of unabashed exuberance. They are totally present: all body, all together, all senses go.

AGNSW collection Angelica Mesiti Rapture (silent anthem) 2009

The joy of the shared moment. Angelica Mesiti won the Blake Prize for Religious Art with this spellbinding video in 2009. Capturing the faces of a crowd in the rapturous grip of an unseen performance, she invites us too to become part of the collectively shared intense emotion. We're all in this together, remember?

AGNSW collection Nigel Milsom Judo house part 6 (the white bird) 2014-2015

The joy of ecstasy. We may not have the 17th-century original in the Gallery’s collection, but we do have Nigel Milsom's crazy take on Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. His reminds us of the acute contrasts revealed in such moments of bliss: pleasure abiding with pain; the shadow and the light, the body and the spirit as one.

AGNSW collection Cherine Fahd The chosen, Africa 2003-2004

The joy of sensation: Cherine Fahd caught her subjects in The chosen series secretly, as they cooled off in a moment of pure pleasure. Without knowing the context of the ‘Paris-Plages’ – the artificial yet very welcome beaches held each year (well, maybe not 2020) along the banks of the Seine – we are left to simply read the delight of sensation on skin.

AGNSW collection Bill Viola Six heads 2000

The joy of being human. In his series The passions, Bill Viola allows deceptively simple techniques, like the close up and slo-mo, to reveal a sequence of emotions in the face of his subject. We might well identify with them right now, including as they do anger, fear and sorrow, but also, of course, joy.

AGNSW collection Richard Long A moved line in Japan 1983

The joy of the walk. Richard Long reminds us of the simple pleasures of a long, solitary walk. Observing nature, making connections, making poetry...

AGNSW collection Leonie Reisberg Untitled 1979

The joy of life. In case we need a little help experiencing joy, let's take some sage advice from a friend of Leonie Reisberg. Be in the moment, share as much as we can with loved ones and, above all, jump as high as you can!