download a compressed version, fragment, ca. 90 sec.

video, 12:10 min, color/sound

Shahram Entekhabi’s purpose in creating Happy Meal transcends a mere acknowledgement of the globalization phenomenon. He is particularly interested in the question of identity. In fact, much of his work seeks to explore how Muslims living in the West strike a balance between Islamic tradition and Western influence in this rapidly globalizing world, in which they have equal exposure to both. With this in mind, Entekhabi hones his analysis of migrant identities to consider the notion of visibility versus invisibility, and whether the culture that these immigrants bring with them from home is truly “seen” by others in their newly assimilated environments. Happy Meal seems to be an anomaly within the context of Shahram Entekhabi’s usual work. Here, not only does he deviate from his usual schema of using characters who are either migrant workers or fundamentalists, but his message also seems to be far more optimistic and playful.11 This video depicts the intersection of two seeming antipodes of today’s society: Islam and Western corporate capitalism. Happy Meal chronicles a little Muslim girl as she excitedly eats a McChicken
Happy Meal in a German McDonald’s. At times, it seems very apparent that the chador which she is wearing gets in her way as she tries to finish her sandwich and then remove the Happy Meal toy from its plastic covering. This continual interference is a metaphor of the often contentious relationship between Islam and the Western world. The background music throughout the piece is a cycle of two catchy children’s songs praising Allah that also serves to highlight the juxtaposition of Islam against the West. Watching the progression of the work unfold, one witnesses a moment in which these two antipodes converge, and all differences are evinced. It is a moment when all the external factors – the politics, the prejudices, the stereotypes – that accompany life as a Muslim living abroad cease to be. After much grimacing and machination, the girl is finally able to overcome the “burden” of her chador and remove the plastic covering of her Happy Meal toy. At this moment the girl seems truly and completely happy. Aimee Marcereau DeGalan describes this point in time as when “the possibility and excitement of new cultures being created.”12 Indeed, the creation of a hybrid “third culture” is the main message that Entekhabi is seeking to convey through Happy Meal. The third culture is one that embraces ideas from both the East and the West, and that threads them together instead of forcing them apart.
Karan Kapoor

Happy Meal, the story of a black chador-clad Iranian girl enjoying her food in a Berlin McDonald’s, uses dress to convey meaning and shift viewer perception. Her dress highlights her cultural identity. To many in the West, this identity coincides with the idea of Islamic fundamentalism; however, as she enjoys her Happy Meal, the viewer begins to see her as a child first and Muslim second. The viewer identifies with her enjoyment of a meal that is emblematic of Western culture. The chador then becomes a symbol of cultural hybridity.
The girl serves as a bridge between two separate cultures. The artist understands what the chador represents to many Western viewers, and he uses this representation to challenge expectations.
-12 Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, “Texts and Interviews: Happy Meal,” http://www.Entekhabi.org, accessed 17 Oct

german text

Die Videoarbeit "Happy Meal" zeigt ein mit einem Tschador verhülltes, kleines Mädchen, das mit Wonne in einem Mc-Donalds-Restaurant ein speziell für Kinder kreiertes Menue, ein sog. "Happy Meal" isst. Die Arbeit ist mit popigen, islamischen Kindergesängen unterlegt, die dem Lob Allahs dienen. Die Arbeit konfrontiert nicht nur zwei gegensätzliche Konzeptionen von Kindheit, die westliche mit ihrem konsumeristischen Pragmatismus und die östliche mit ihrem auf das Jenseits gerichteten Heilsversprechen, sondern sie deutet auch die Dimension einer "dritten Kultur" an: Das Verhalten des kleine Mädchens spricht von einer Symbiose dieser beiden Konzeptionen, so dass eine ganz neue Kultur entstehen kann.

poster 120 x160 cm

text on Happy Meal
Aimee Marcereau DeGalan 'happy meal', English