Happiness is not far away, Installation artwork on Kama River embankment, Russia.

Happiness is not far away is an installation made of red metal letters along the Kama embankment in Perm. The letters stand just over three meters high and are arranged side by side on the paved waterfront strip, clearly visible from the path and from the river.

Artist Boris Matrosov created the piece for the Art Field festival in 2005, originally in a different form. It was permanently installed along the riverbank in 2009, where it has since become a landmark of the city.

The inscription uses a Russian saying that happiness lies not beyond distant mountains but right before your eyes. Local people often meet at the sculpture and use it as a backdrop for photos, especially on weekends and warm summer evenings.

The installation stands openly accessible along the eastern waterfront section near the river station and is easy to reach from the footpath. Lighting comes on after dark, making a visit later in the evening worthwhile too.

During spring months the water level of the Kama sometimes rises high enough that the lower parts of the letters dip into the river. At such times the red shapes reflect on the water surface and create a changed appearance of the piece.