Addiction and Recovery through Art History
June 26 2024
Picture: hyperallergic.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The website Hyperallergic.com have published a review of Kikan Massara’s new book entitled The 12 Steps: Symbols, Myths, and Archetypes of Recovery. In particular, the article focuses on how explorations of artworks are used within the book.
To quote a section:
The core of this parlance is, of course, the eponymous 12 steps in the book’s title. A section of the book breaks down each step into its core principle, and then illustrates it through works of art and literature. Step One, summarized as “Admit Powerlessness,” is paired with “Despair” (1894) by Edvard Munch, “Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth” (1842) by J. M. W. Turner, “Sueño” (1992) by Kiki Smith, and even a Ptolemaic relief dating to 332 BCE from the Temple of Haroeris and Sobek in the Nile Valley of Egypt. Each captures the devastation, confusion, and tumult of a losing battle with alcoholism and other related diseases — one that drives millions of people to reach out for help.
Click on the link above to read more.
