Header: Courtesy of Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda
Visual artists Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda are known to blend elements of street art, sculpture, and performance in their photographs, using only practical effects—without digital tools or artificial intelligence. Happygraphers, their most recent exhibition, is live at the Hangaram Art Museum in the Seoul Arts Center (South Korea) until March 30, one of the country’s most prestigious museums.
The duo are architects and visual artists with over one million followers on Instagram. They have collaborated with global brands like Netflix, Disney, Amazon, and Coca-Cola and exhibited in countries like France, Japan, the UAE, and the United States. Their minimalist, detail-driven style blends architecture, design, and illustration, always built with real materials and natural light. They met while studying architecture at the Universitat Politècnica de València and have since developed a practice rooted in visual storytelling through entirely handmade photographs.
The creative duo previously exhibited a retrospective of their work at Callao Square in Madrid in 2021, with the new exhibition at the Hangaram Art Museum presenting them as “the photographers of happiness.” Their work is featured alongside retrospectives of Caravaggio and Van Gogh, with nearly a hundred pieces on display, including several previously unseen. The show highlights the craftsmanship behind each image and encourages viewers to explore the artistic process in detail.
“It is no coincidence that humour, colour, and beauty are almost omnipresent elements in our stories. We want our photographs to convey a message of optimism and joy, to inspire and leave a positive imprint on those who see them.”
Anna Devís
In addition to viewing their large-format photographs, visitors can step into full-scale recreations of the artists’ sets, allowing them to engage with the scenes, experience the process firsthand, and take their own photos from within the environments Devís and Rueda originally created.
Each of their photographs begins with an initial sketch and a location search. Instead of relying on digital editing, they construct every scene manually using everyday objects, custom props, handmade outfits, and natural light. While the images often appear simple, they result from a detailed planning process where colour, form, and texture are arranged precisely to build a coherent visual idea.
The works on display were created both in their Valencia studio and in various cities worldwide—Miami, Helsinki, and Doha—and are organised into four thematic sections: Música Maestro!, Curiocities, Ideas Come True, and What The Hat?!. A fifth section, Behind the Camera, features videos documenting the stages of their creative process. Also on view are original sketches, costumes designed specifically for the works, and selected tools and objects used during production.
“We want to invite people to rediscover the world around them and to seek the subtle beauty hidden in the everyday. In these turbulent times, there is no greater reward for us than knowing that our work can bring a smile to those who visit the exhibition.”
Daniel Rueda
