Addicts and Those Who Love Them is an exhibition by Antonia Rolls informed by the experiences of people impacted by addiction, both directly and through a loved one. The art works, created from Antonia’s own experience, as well as people she has spoken to, will be shown as part of the Wandsworth Art Fringe. It runs from 11-22 June, from Mon-Thurs 11-6pm. Antonia will also be running a workshop “Grief and Relief, Light and Dark, Learning to Live Beyond Loss.” The exhibition will also take place in the Fishing Quarter Gallery, Brighton, from 19-25th August.
Antonia spoke to Masha Tiunova for Performing Recovery magazine. There is an excerpt below, the full interview will be in the next issue due out later this month.
Masha: Can you tell me about your hopes for this exhibition and how they have evolved over time?
Antonia: My hopes for this exhibition began in 2019 when I started working on it. I wanted to understand addiction because my son, Costya, was struggling with alcohol and drugs, and I didn’t know how to help him. I started this exhibition by asking people about their experiences with addiction. I painted their portraits and included their stories to understand the subject more deeply. The exhibition has grown and has been incredibly enlightening, though I still have no concrete answers. It has helped me not to fear addiction anymore.
Masha: What makes you not afraid now?
Antonia: Meeting and painting so many people taught me that those struggling with addiction are just people. Costya’s extreme and destructive behavior was due to his addiction, but underneath it, he was still my son. I learned to see beyond the addiction and focus on the person.
Masha: How did your relationship with the exhibition change after Costya passed away?
Antonia: It’s paradoxical because the exhibition started because of him. After he died, it felt like all the doors opened, and there was nothing I couldn’t say or do. The exhibition took on new life, showing the complexity of addiction and mental health. His death has allowed us to talk about overdose, suicide, and the harsh realities of addiction more openly.
The full interview will be published in Issue 7 of Performing Recovery later on this month.
