For my final project I will be creating a Marijuana Sculpture that speaks on the Medical benefits of it, as well as pointing out the desperate need for a prison reform based on the inmates suffering in jail for what is now legal in more than half the U.S states. As I was researching activist artwork for Marijuana I found that it was actually quiet difficult to find artists who second my position. After looking for quiet some time I finally found a few artist who really connected with the theme of my project. The first piece of art that I discovered was out of a 420 art gallery that I stumbled upon online. The piece is called "God Given" by Carlos Castillo created in 2015. Currently this oil and soft pastel piece is going for $4,400. This piece stuck out to me because it is beautiful, the colors and the message really stuck with me. I also loved the fact that it is a different take on the famous The Creation Of Adam by Italian artist Michelangelo. If you look closely you can see the woman to the left resting on a big nug of weed while the man hanging from the clouds passes a pretty hefty joint.
The second piece of art that I discovered was painted in 1994 in New York City by a man named Fred Tomaselli. The piece goes by the name of Super Plant and is currently held at the James Cohan Gallery in New York. In this classic painting the work is strictly dedicated to marijuana. The artist stated that the black background and minimalist style is to highlight the plants delicate, natural beauty without compromising his signature sense of psychedelia. I liked this piece because like the artist said it is very simple and delicate but a lot is going on in the picture. It is capturing the root of the life of the plant, all the way to the blooming flowers.
These artist have collectively went against the "social norm" that society pins on us when it comes to Marijuana use. Both of these artist are shedding light on the subject in ways that a lot of other artists and people are scared to do. The message that these artists put out there is the point that this is a natural plant, as Carlos Castillo based his painting name on "God Given". I think that the artists are doing a good job on educating the public about the cannabis industry through their artwork and gallery shows. One thing that I can say I seen more is the focus of prison reform aspect of the whole marijuana ordeal.
Castillo, Carlos. “God Given.” ART420, 2015, www.artfourtwenty.com/gallery.
Tomasallini, Fred. “8 Weed Artworks That Will Make You High.” Artnet News, 29 Oct. 1994, news.artnet.com/art-world/marijuana-weed-art-cannabis-artworks-338428.
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