SUBSTANCE
2003, Dimensions variable
The photos are extreme close-ups of ecstasy tablets. There are five pills in all. Each is emblazoned with a word or symbol: SKY, LOVE, XXX, the Superman logo and a stylized tulip. The intention with this series is to render visible a much discussed but seldom seen substance. Ecstasy has its own lore and mythology: that of love, bliss, empathic connection, spiritual enlightenment and a heightened sense of well-being. Ideology can decoded from the inscriptions on the pills themselves. The dark side of illegal drug use is also well known: criminal arrest, dependency, addiction, mental illness and even death. By presenting large scale images of the drug, the tiny tablets become monumentalized, representing both the exaggerated presence that drugs have in the lives of dependent users and also amplifying the aura of menace that accompanies these minuscule, indifferent objects. (Nelson Henricks)
EXHIBITIONS February 15 - March 15 2003, Galerie Graff, Montréal, Quebec.
