Heroin Falls

Heroin Falls

Heroin Falls highlights the realities of heroin addiction through the juxtaposition of two different worlds through the eyes of two incredible photographers.

The exhibition aims to show connections which will lead viewers to acknowledge substance misuse is a global challenge that transcends race, location and class.

Magnum photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa (b.1995) aims his lens at a group of young men from a South African township Thokoza whom have turned to using nyaope. Nyaope is a low-grade form of heroin which can be mixed with many different bulking agents including cannabis products, antiretroviral drugs, as well as other materials. Sobekwa documents their journey, capturing their daily activities and chores, whilst part two of his project is redemptive, focusing on rehab and introspection.

Most documentary projects about addiction expose someone else’s self-destructive behaviour, but Scottish born, New York based photographer Graham MacIndoe (b.1963) took a very different approach: he photographed himself during the years he was addicted to heroin. He’d place a cheap digital camera on a table or bookshelf, set the self-timer to take a photo every so often, then turn his attention to the rituals of his habit. The resulting photographs document the harsh realities of drug addiction and the photographer’s use of the artistic medium in his own recovery.

Heroin Falls is part of a six-month season of interlinked exhibitions and events that explore the question Why Do We Take Drugs?