Art under the influence
These self-portraits were created by an American artist while on an array of mind-altering substances. The contrast between them is staggering.
Self portraits on drugs (morphine)
Consuming a cocktail of drugs for days on end, all in the name of art. Sound a little crazy? In 2001, American artist Bryan Lewis Saunders did just that. The experiment was part of Saunders’ bigger project, begun almost 20 years ago, to draw at least one self-portrait every day for the rest of his life.
New experiences (cocaine)
Saunders was looking for “other experiences that might profoundly affect my perception of self,” he says on his website - and he succeeded. The artist’s various drawings produced while on a veritable A-Z of intoxicants show what an impact they have on how users see themselves.
No escape from reality (absinthe)
“Everyone around me, including strangers, is on drugs,” Saunders told Life Links about why he did the experiment. “Some people do recreational drugs and some take medicines. Either way you cannot escape the world we live in. I feel that it is better sometimes to wholeheartedly embrace something before you reject it, because then your rejection is informed.”
Turned upside down (abilify)
One portrait that stands out is the one above. Abilify is a prescription drug used to treat illnesses like schizophrenia and depression. It comes with a long list of possible side effects. “I felt quite childlike yet drab, sentimental and pulpy...like if I had turned myself upside down my brains would have oozed out,” Saunders said.
Drugs equal ugly (adderall)
Within weeks of starting his experimental portraits with drugs, Saunders became lethargic. He suffered mild brain damage, which “fortunately wasn’t irreparable.” As for what he found out: “I learned that most drugs make me look ugly, or appear to feel ugly, with the exception of anti-anxiety agents”. Adderall, above, is used to treat hyperactivity disorder.
Broken lines (heroin)
Saunders said he couldn’t pick a favourite out of his 63 self-portraits on drugs. “To me they all pretty much have the same emotional value,” he said. The artist took hard drugs like heroin, but also experimented with medicines. When he took cough syrup "in excess, immediately after ingesting numerous other drugs" he ended up seeing himself completely differently. “That scared me,” he said.
No influence on creativity (mushrooms)
Saunders’ portrait of himself on mushrooms, above, has become one of the iconic images of his project. What advice can he offer after the experience? “I would like to say that taking specific drugs did not make me more creative,” he said. “I was already creative to begin with and the drugs just had various degrees of impact on that.”
The Art of Darkness (haloperidol & ativan)
Saunders sees the drawings he made on drugs as part of his bigger self-portrait project. When Life Links caught up with him, he said he’d completed 9,577 in total. “As varied as they appear, to me they exist as a single work,” he said. In September 2014, a feature length documentary about Saunders’ work, “The Art of Darkness”, premiered in London. Take a look by clicking on the 'more' button.
New projects (risperdol)
“For hundreds of years, artists have been putting themselves into representations of the world around them. I am doing the exact opposite,” Saunders said about his work. The artist recently worked on another project, psychological test cards, in which he argues that people can bypass doctors and diagnose themselves. You can see the test cards via the 'more' button, top right.