Marc likes to say that much of his work is about nothing, however, it is here that the series manages to extract it’s own meaning. By being about nothing, it is about everything. It methodically riffs on the nature of reality, who can reach enlightenment (and how they can or should go about doing it), the ridiculousness of our current society, and the trippy uneasiness that accompanies participating in quotidian reality. By stepping back and refusing to take itself too seriously, it becomes a top notch parody and underrated gem.
I have spoken with artist Brian Pollett before and i am still fascinated by the concept of his Binge series. Over a set course of days, Brian consumes various drugs and creates pieces that attempt to represent elements of each particular substance. It's a very underrated concept in my opinion and manages to showcase both Brian's virtuoso talent, as well as his incredible ability to translate these spaces into reality for us to admire without being pretentious.
Ifetayo Harvey of the Drug Policy Alliance has been fighting against the injustice and discrimination found in many of the practices propagated by the perpetual War on Drugs. In our first interview, she told her story about how this war impacted her and her family. She recently wrote a fascinating article for Psymposia about why the psychedelic community is so white and what this says about the culture of drug use.
Steven has been dubbed "The Fire Artist" (even collaborating with the iconic Zippo lighter brand) as a result of his proficiency in this style of composition. Many see the almost ethereal nature of his gorgeous works as far more than just some simple novelty. Some of history's greatest surrealists like Salvador Dali (one of Steven's inspirations) have dabbled in fumage and the results are momentous representations of the legitimacy of the technique.