Museum Entrance

V I R T U A L M U S E U M O F C O N T E M P O R A R Y A R T

W h o D o I R e a l l y S e e ?

C U R A T O R + C R E D I T S

F o r d e c a d e s A m e r i c a n s h a v e c a m p a i g n e d a W a r o n D r u g s t o r e d u c e i l l e g a l d r u g t r a d e . A d d i c t s h a v e b e e n l o o k e d d o w n u p o n a n d o f t e n s e e a s c r i m i n a l s . T h i s i s n o t t r u e ; p e o p l e w h o s t r u g g l e f r o m d r u g a d d i c t i o n a r e s t i l l h u m a n b e i n g s , a n d t h e i r a d d i c t i o n d o e s n o t o n l y c a u s e h a r m . S o m e a r t i s t s c h a n n e l t h e i r a d d i c t i o n i n t h e i r w o r k , a n d i t m a k e s o u r w o r l d a m o r e b e a u t i f u l p l a c e . I i n t e n d t o s h a r e p i e c e s b y a r t i s t s w h o h a v e f o u g h t w i t h a d d i c t i o n t o d i s p l a y t h e i r i n c r e d i b i l i t y a n d c a p a b i l i t y t h r o u g h t h e i r w o r k . D i ff e r e n t a r t i s t s t h a t w i l l b e i n c l u d e d a r e G r a h a m M a c I n d o e , J e a n - M i c h e l B a s q u i a t , a n d T h o m a s K i n k a d e .

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Room 1

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W h o D o I R e a l l y S e e ?Since 1971, a War on Drugs has been in action in the United States. This initiative includes a set of drug policies that are intended to discourage the production, distribution, and consumption of psychoactive drugs that the participating governments, and the United Nations have made illegal. Drug abuse has been a major problem in the United States, and it is even more concerning how easily drug abuse can lead to addiction. Sadly in our culture, these addicts are seen with a very negative connotation. They are seen only as addicts, or even criminals, when their self-worth is much more. The truth is mental illness plays a huge role behind the scene of many addictions, with 2012 statistics reporting that 8.4 million Americans who abuse substances also suffer from at least one mental illness (“Severe mental illness tied to higher rates of substance abuse” 2014). This negative perception of addicts is not valid when many of them art talented individuals. The following exhibition consists of people of that nature. These artists include, Graham MacIndoe, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Thomas Kinkade.

Graham Macindoe is a Scottish photographer who was a struggling heroin addict. His work started to revolve around his habits. MacIndoe would use a cheap digital camera on a timer ever so often to pay attention to his daily rituals. This included, filling a crack pipe, coking heroin, shooting up, etc. Over time, he became more deliberate with his lighting and composition. MacIndoe believes these works are necessary to see addiction from the inside. It gives the viewer not a perspective of the outside, but a first-person account of the isolating,

all consuming nature of addiction. Beating the odds, Graham MacIndoe has been clean for 5 years (Andreasson and Remy 2014).

Jean-Michel Basquiat's work is one of the few examples of how an early 1980s American Punk, or graffiti-based and counter-cultural practice could become a fully recognized, critically embraced and popularly celebrated artistic phenomenon, indeed not unlike the rise of American Hip Hop culture during the same era ("Jean-Michel Basquiat Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works"). Sadly, Basquiat is also infamous for his substance abuse. The different substances he consumed effected the way he worked differently, his brushstroke, his composition. His heavy usage also led to his death. Despite an attempt at sobriety, he died on August 12, 1988 at the age of 27, of a heroin overdose at his art studio (“Jean-Michel Basquiat” 2010).

Thomas Kinkade, self-proclaimed as the “Painter of Light”, is known for his work with Disney and a lot of influence through Christian symbols. Not many people knew that the kitschy, landscape painter struggled with an addiction to alcohol and the prescription pill, Valium that would later lead to his death in 2012 (Bissonnette). Kinkade tried to use his pieces as an escape for himself and also his viewers. "It's not the world we live in," Kinkade said of his painting, "it's the world we wished we live in. People wish they could find that stream, that cabin in the woods" (Glaister).

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U n t i t l e d

Artist: Graham MacIndoe Date: N/AMedia: Digital filmSize: N/A

This is one of MacIndoe’s self-portraits. The composition has his emaciated body centered in the photo which makes him the main focus. This composition also allows us to see MacIndoe’s reflection in the filthy mirror; his expression in his reflection allows him to appear like a ghost. This gives the viewers a very emotional response to the face of addiction.

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Artist: Graham MacIndoeDate: N/AMedia: Digital filmSize: N/A

Another untitled self-portrait of MacIndoe gives us a different scene from his New York City apartment. In this shot the figure is off focus, but still catches the eye of the viewers through MacIndoe’s expression. With the look on his face, he is not present. Light casted on his face with closed eyes, a neutral mouth. The body language is what really speaks, crouching low to the ground. This is usually a sign of fear or the need to be comforted.

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A l l I n

Artist: Graham MacIndoeDate: N/AMedia: Glassine bagsSize: N/A

This piece involves a series of heroin bags that MacIndoe had found throughout his apartment. He was inspired by their typography. These bags consisted of street-made stamps that helped market the heroin. Names on the bags, such as, “True Romance” or “True Religion” glamorize the act. While others, such as, “All In” or “Killa” made the drug seem like a rare, exciting gamble.

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S c u l l

Artist: Jean-Michel BasquiatDate: 1981Media: Acrylic paint and crayonSize: 207 x 175.9 cm

This painting by Basquiat truly displays the versatility in his brush strokes in accordance to the drugs he was taking. His pieces with very large, wide brushstrokes, like Scull, are known to be his heroin paintings. It allows the audience to wonder as he jumps from different colors, to different patterns, to different textures. The dead eyes also gives this figure an untold narrative.

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N o t a r y

Artist: Jean-Michel Basquiat Date: 1983Media: Acrylic paint and crayonSize: 180.5 x 401.5 cm

This is another piece by Basquiat that displays his variation of technique in accordance to what substance he was on. His small, more detailed paintings, such as Notary, are known as his “cocaine paintings”. As spectators view the work the content jumps from subject to subject. This gives the viewer a snap shot of what could possibly be traveling through Basquiat’s head.

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A P e a c e f u l R e t r e a t

Artist: Thomas KinkadeDate: 2002Media: Oil on canvasSize: N/A

Kinkade painted the reality he longed for. A Peaceful Retreat is one of his pieces that displays a realistic landscape of a cottage in the mountains. The “Painter of Light” demonstrates his trademark by have the reflections of light present through the whole piece. The usage of light in the painting can give off a sense of warmth to the viewer.

I m a g e c r e d i t : h t t p : / / t i n y u r l . c o m / z g c v 5 g 3 R e t u r n

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G r a c e l a n d C h r i s t m a s

Artist: Thomas KinkadeDate: 2008Media: Oil on canvasSize: N/A

The kitschy painter portrays “the most wonderful time of the year” at Elvis Presley’s Graceland home, depicting Elvis as the family Santa. Kinkade described Elvis as, “an ordinary person with the same hopes and aspirations of anyone else”. In fact, Elvis Presley was another artist who suffered from alcoholism.

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A n g e l i q u e A . K o p a c z

The curator of the exhibition, “Who Do I Really See?”, is Angelique A. Kopacz. She has had previous experience in practicing art therapy, specifically with research in substance abuse. She dedicates this exhibition to Eric, a friend who inspired her.

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h t t p : / /t i n y u r l . c o m / o e d g 2 z zh t t p : / /t i n y u r l . c o m / z a f 5 x q rh t t p : / /t i n y u r l . c o m / z g c v 5 g 3

h t t p : / /t i n y u r l . c o m / z c 9 z 8 h j

C I T AT I O N

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C I TAT I O N SAndreasson, Karin, and Thibaut Remy. "My Addiction: A Self-portrait by Graham MacIndoe." The Guardian. N.p., 02 May 2014. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.Bissonnette, Zac. "The Drunken Downfall of Evangelical America's Favorite Painter." The Daily Beast. N.p., 08 June 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.Butcher, Sophie. "The Art of Smack: Graham MacIndoe's 'All In' | VICE | United States." VICE. N.p., 03 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.Glaister, Dan. "Thomas Kinkade: The Secret Life and Strange Death of Art's King of Twee." The Guardian. N.p., 09 May 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2015."Jean-Michel Basquiat." Basquiat. N.p., 2010. Web. 14 Dec. 2015."Jean-Michel Basquiat Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works." The Art Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.“Severe mental illness tied to higher rates of substance abuse.” (2014). National Institutes of Health. Accessed July 11, 2014.

R e t u r n t o

C u r a t o r

V i r t u a l m u s e u m s w e r e i n t r o d u c e d b y e d u c a t o r s a t K e i t h V a l l e y M i d d l e S c h o o l. O r i g i n a l t e m p l a t e b y D r . C h r i s t y K e e l e r m o d i fi e d b y W i l l i a m C r o m a r.

T h i s w o r k i s l i c e n s e d u n d e r a C r e a t i v e C o m m o n s A t t r i b u t i o n - N o n c o m m e r c i a l - S h a r e A l i k e 3 . 0 U n i t e d S t a t e s L i c e n s e.