Jeremyriad

Bryan Lewis Saunders is an artist from Washington D.C., who follows a rich legacy of creatives by including mind-altering substances in his tool kit. Rather than speak of the substances in hushed whispers, Saunders laid it out in a series of self-portraits entitled: DRUGS.

He writes:

After experiencing drastic changes in my environment, I looked for other experiences that might profoundly affect my perception of the self. So I devised another experiment where everyday I took a different drug and drew myself under the influence. Within weeks I became lethargic and suffered mild brain damage. I am still conducting this experiment but over greater lapses of time. I only take drugs that are given to me.

My regular readers will no doubt recall that here at Jeremyriad.com, we shared a long term laugh about Bath Salts (ending unfortunately in the mistaken villainization of them during that whole zombie face-eating situation in FL). Drug art, like toy art, exists at the periphery of the mainstream art scene. Frankly, it’s fascinating. Saunders’ self-portraits offer a window into the powerful prescriptions and street drugs that are (re)shaping the minds of so many people. Here are a few of my favorites. Check out Cultso for the full collection. [Thank you to Wheelbarrow and Mike the Fireman for bringing this to my attention!]