MEDICATED NATION
Art mirrors society’s reliance on pharmaceutical drugs
by KOD Staff
From the rise of designer drugs, to students staying up all night on ADHD medication, pharmaceuticals are, whether rightly or wrongly, a huge part of contemporary life. Pop a Xanax to stay calm and an Adderall to heighten alertness, there is a growing global dependency and it comes as no surprise that the art world is reflecting this addiction.
With Damien Hirst mocking our belief in extending life pill by pill and Design Obtain Cherish merging Prada and Prozac, big name artists are forcing viewers to observe the benefits, limitations and social perceptions of pharmaceuticals. The colors and delicate forms of our medication also lend themselves to contemporary art on a purely aesthetic basis, removed from any underlying ethics, making the works all the more striking. The complexity of our medicated lives is mirrored in the variety of the art world's commentary on the topic.
Design Obtain Cherish, 'Addicted At Birth', 2013
Damien Hirst, 'Lullaby: The Seasons', 2002 (detail)
Pharmacopoeia, 'Cradle to Grave', 2003
Beverly Fishman, 'Pill Spill', 2011
Hayden Kays, 'One Lump or Two', 2012
Mariano Del Rosario, 'Unfathomed', 2012
Steve Kraitt, 'Designer Drugs', 2013
