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Tweed ’ s Artist in Residence : Ezra Soiferman
by Will Tremblay
Ezra Soiferman ’ s photographs are not only visually captivating , they also feature an array of subthemes and patterns that tell an interesting story . This talent , combined with his fascination with cannabis , only partly explains how he came to be in the unique position of being artist-inresidence for a large medical marijuana company .
Ezra Soiferman ’ s longstanding fascination with cannabis has translated into a unique role within the industry as the first artist-inresidence at Tweed , Canada ’ s largest medical marijuana producer . The Montreal-based documentary filmmaker and photographer codirected Pressure Drop , his first film about cannabis in 1993 , sparking his career-long interest in documenting the plant and its culture . Soiferman was introduced to Tweed while filming a scene for the CBC documentary Grass Fed , which followed comedian Mike Paterson ’ s journey in using edible cannabis as medicine . “ That film followed Mike as he learned how edibles worked and if it would work for his sciatica ,” Soiferman says . “ He got a prescription , then we went to Tweed to visit the facility to see how his medical cannabis is grown .” While filming the documentary , Soiferman became fascinated with Tweed ’ s story of turning a former Hershey ' s chocolate factory into a marijuana production facility in Smith Falls , Ontario . “ A week before the film was released on the CBC Documentary Channel in late 2015 , I had this idea , this brainwave , that a cannabis company should have an artistin-residence ,” Soiferman says . He assembled a portfolio of his work , as well as a business plan , to pitch the residency idea to the medical marijuana producer . “ I got it all ready , but I didn ’ t send it ,” he says .
After Grass Fed aired , Soiferman received an email from Tweed president Mark Zekulin , thanking him for including the company in the film . “ I took that as a sign they were open to new ideas ,” he says . “ The next morning , I sent off this proposal . A week later , I followed up and it turns out he loved the idea .” In August 2016 , Soiferman was named Tweed ’ s artist-in-residence , a photography-based position mandated to “ bring art to cannabis and cannabis to art ,” while profiling the emerging industry . “ One of the things I ’ m seeing about cannabis now is the industry itself is expanding in a way that is artistic . It ’ s unpredictable , it ’ s colorful , it ’ s beautiful ,” Soiferman says . “ The flowering of the cannabis industry is a work of art unto itself .” Although cannabis and art have a storied connection , the residency is likely the first of its kind in the global cannabis industry , says Jordan Sinclair , Tweed ’ s director of communications and media . “ We try to do things that are a little outside of the scope of just cannabis ,” Sinclair says . He adds Soiferman ’ s work helps illustrate Tweed ’ s support of the arts , as well as engage with a number of communities through his photography . “ He ’ s done an amazing job of getting out there and sharing his art . Anytime he ’ s doing that , there ’ s a little bit of a tieback to Tweed ,” Sinclair says . “ For us , it comes with a little bit of thanks and a little bit of visibility .”
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