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A Stamford gallerist who was arrested on June 22 after unloading an 800-pound steel sculpture of a burnt heroin spoon at Stamford's headquarters at Purdue Pharma, said his act of "guerrilla art "is the first of what he plans to be. many unauthorized demonstrations against the pharmaceutical industry.
The owner of the gallery, Fernando Luis Alvarez, whose gallery bears his name, calls his campaign planned the "movement of the spoon".
"That was all the strategy we created for that – we are looking for pharmaceutical companies, distributors, politicians and doctors," said Alvarez. "Every time we go to a new business, we'll have a new spoon, that spoon will be taken away by the cops and I'll be arrested and after they give it back and we'll donate the spoon to a city that sues the companies.
Alvarez said his protest was designed to draw attention to what he sees as Purdue 's leading role in the nation – wide opioid epidemic. . Purdue is the manufacturer of OxyContin and other opioids. The sculpture was made by Boston artist Domenic Esposito, whose brother's heroin addiction began as an addiction to OxyContin and Percocet.
Alvarez is scheduled to appear in court on July 10 for a criminal charge of an offense of obstructing the free passage. After refusing to remove the sculpture, Alvarez was taken away by the police. The police originally said that Alvarez would also be charged with a crime, but he was not.)
The history of Alvarez's act and his arrest became viral on the Courant's website. That's what Alvarez wanted and why he timed the unauthorized fall of art to coincide with the opening of his multi-artist exhibition "Opioid: Express Yourself."
"It goes back to the first roots of the gallery, its mission statement, it's important for us to do this show to look at the problem from a different angle," said Alvarez. "Artists, through their work, can hold architects accountable for this epidemic."
Easy access to opioids is one of the major scourges of contemporary society. It is fueling the growing number of accidental deaths nationwide and has been cited as a major enabler of the historical increase in suicides.
Alvarez blames pharmaceutical companies. He especially called the billionaire family Sackler, majority of Purdue. The fortune of the family, acquired through Purdue, has been given to a myriad of institutions. The name Sackler is widely recognized, stamped on art galleries, museums, and universities around the world. Meanwhile, the company has been the subject of numerous lawsuits regarding its commercialization and labeling of opioids.
"There are a lot of players here – the corporation, the politicians, the doctors, the universities, the museums – they should all be held accountable," Alvarez said. "If people feel uncomfortable seeing the name of Sackler, they should express themselves."
The spoon in front of Purdue – an "exhibition" that lasted about two hours until the Stamford Public Works employees hoisted up – is still in custody. Alvarez said when he recovers the sculpture, he will add it to the exhibition of the gallery, which opened with a bang. After the news of his arrest, 1,000 people showed up at the gallery for the opening of the show. Openings usually attract 400 people or less, he said.
He hopes that finally the spoon will be given to the city of Boston. In June, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed a lawsuit against Purdue alleging that OxyContin's "inadmissible" marketing techniques minimized the risk of dependency.
Alvarez said that the traditional way of punishing pharmaceutical companies – with big fines – is not good enough. Following a federal lawsuit in 2007 aimed at the labeling and marketing of OxyContin, Purdue was fined $ 600 million and three high-level leaders were convicted of violating the law. criminal charges.
"It's not a fine that does it.They play the public with that.The big fine is agreed behind closed doors by the big boy's network." People hear "millions, holy crap" but these people have made billions, what's the point, we want to send these people behind bars. "
Other artists in & # 39; Opiod & # 39;
Matthew Paul Cleary's biological parents died as a result of heroin addiction, and he used various drugs in his youth. He was inspired by the tragedy of his mother and father to create his three-part work, seen in the Stamford Show. One piece, says Cleary, depicts a "community of misguided spirits" to which his parents belonged. A diptych next to this work shows two skulls covered with a bright and colorful curtain. The third piece is a twisted and stunted tree branch, symbolizing the children of the addicts.
Cleary, 45, said that his parents' early addictions had preceded the introduction of OxyContin, but he considers them both as "victims of the irresponsible marketing of opioids".
"OxyContin was introduced at a time when my dad was in a methadone program, doing his best to deal with his addiction," Cleary said. "After OxyContin has spilled over the market, my dad found it very easy to get to various local pills factories."
He added that Arthur Sackler's success in marketing his products in the 1960s has inspired other pharmaceutical companies to follow suit with aggressive marketing campaigns, "which have begun a brutal cycle of profit on the market. well-being of people.
"Do not misunderstand that Purdue Pharma and companies like them are responsible for unnecessary deaths throughout the country, including the death of my parents," he said.
Clinton Deckert of Southington contributed to two works, one in black and white demons emerging from a nightmare landscape, the other, called "Feeding the Beast," an evil yellow eye that is detaches from a dark background.
"What's good for society has to override the driving forces of greed and profit," Deckert said. "The medical field, the legislature, the law enforcement and especially the pharmaceutical companies must work in tandem to resolve this crisis."
Artist Ben Quesnel said that the opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc on his entourage.
"I've lost friends, I've had a few close friends able to get out of it," he said. "It's like #metoo. Everyone knows someone in this situation. "
In response to the outbreak, Quesnel created the "Prescribed Ruins" room, a wooden structure resembling a wall ripped off a bathroom, with two by four, a wall and a medicine cabinet. The configuration of the beams mimics Purdue HQ's modernist architectural design. The mirror of the medicine cabinet reflects the second part of the exhibition: 17,000 pieces of clay-like pills, scattered on the floor of the gallery Alvarez. "I'm calling this part of the play" Take Two, "as it says on the bottle of pills," he said.
The John J. Bedoya opium poppy oil on canvas is shredded at the bottom of the canvas, to suggest the ruin caused by the product of the flowers.
Lee Tal made an American flag, painted it black and barred it with a bar. Alvarez explained this work:
"The Americans of the future will look at this time and ask," How on earth did they let that happen? "
Other artists whose works are in the show are Antuan Rodriguez, Nathan Lewis and Jason Werner.
OPIOID: EXPRESS YOURSELF is at the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, 96 Bedford St. in Stamford, until July 30. flalvarezgallery.com.
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