Curated by Estrellita B. Brodsky with Raúl Martínez
September 9 to December 10, 2023
Morgan Anderson Gallery
Purple Haze: Art and Drugs Across the Americas examines the Americas’ ambiguous relationship with drugs and their representation in the media and the public imagination.
Purple Haze: Art and Drugs Across the Americas explores the representation of drugs in the media and public imagination.
From the Olmec’s use of bufo toad secretions to the chewing of coca leaves by numerous communities in the Andes, there is ample documentation of the use of psychotropic substances by multiple societies across the Americas. Pre-Hispanic objects included in the exhibition demonstrate how drugs were used as a means of communicating with deities, dead ancestors and spirits.
As Western societies explore and embrace the curative potential of anesthetics and psychedelics, it is important to look beyond our borders and their ambiguous histories. This exhibition offers a more nuanced view focusing on the knowledge and practices of Latin American communities while also shedding light on the violence and destruction caused by Americas’ War on Drugs and foreign policies. Purple Haze will present works that are poignant reminders of the complex ways in which cultures and artists across the continents have addressed this topic.
"This project was made possible with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts."
Antonio Caro, Colombia, 1977,
screen print on canvas, courtesy the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), New York
Invitada / Guest: Elisa Pritzker
Larry Clark,
Jac Leirner, Skin (Rizia Liquorice), 2013, courtesy of the artist and Fortes D'Aloia & Gabriel, São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro. Photo by Ben Westoby