These paintings are all made using hashish. The marijuana resin is brought from various places, ground down, mixed with linseed oil and used on linen and paper. I was interested in this idea of art taking you somewhere, of it being a kind of transport and interested in the idea of art being uplifting and how this collided with the notion of a ‘high’. I like the idea that this material is a ‘street’ material, we often sense its traces in the city, but also that it is forbidden, taboo, hidden. I also wanted to play with the idea of possession, dealing and intended use, content and agency. There is a variation in the imagery, they have been made over a long period of time. The first paintings were the monochromes and this led into more landscape based works and later constructions, patterns and surfaces.
http://handelstreetprojects.com/
