Fascinated by the relationship between the use of ecstasy and the United Kingdom, an anonymous British artist who goes by Chemical X has repurposed ecstasy pills into a material for which he uses to creates grand works of art.
Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is a psychoactive drug primarily used recreationally at clubs, raves, musical festivals, etc. The effects of taking ecstasy include but are not limited to, an increased level of energy, euphoria, and mild hallucinations.
Formally an avid raver and ecstasy user himself, Chemical X began using ecstasy pills as an art material for its variety of colours and designs. By buying the ingredients wholesale and using pill presses to make his own ecstasy pills, Chemical X reimages the ecstasy pill as a pixel on a mosaic to create elaborate patterns and artworks. By creating the artworks, Chemical X aims to raise discussion and reflect on the cultural impacts that ecstasy has had on the people of the UK.
According to statistics by the Home Office Crime Survey for England and Wales 2017/18, around 1 in 29, roughly 1.1 million adults aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales have taken a Class A drug in the last year. A class A drug in the UK is labelled as crack cocaine, cocaine, ecstasy (MDMA), heroin, LSD, magic mushrooms, methadone, and methamphetamine (crystal meth). Among the 16 to 59-year-old population of England and Wales, 1.7 percent have taken ecstasy in the last year.
Based on the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics, 2016 saw the highest ever number of drug-related deaths in England and Wales, with a total of 3744 deaths registered. Out of the drug-related deaths, opiates accounted for 2038 deaths, cocaine accounted for 371 deaths, and ecstasy accounted for 63 deaths.
“My art is about potential suspended in an everlasting moment: it does not glorify nor condemn personal drug choices but, like all art, reflects society back in on itself for re-examination,” said Chemical X.
To learn more about Chemical X, click the link below
To check out more of his artwork, click the link below.
http://www.chemicalxtesting.co.uk/Chemical_X_Catalogue-2018.pdf
