Addiction through art: A reflection with Kat Pisani
By Ilana van der Merwe, April 19 2025—
“Andre never stopped being a good dude, he was a good dude this whole time. He just had a coping mechanism that worked for a while, until it didn’t. But he was always a good dude.”
Mike Sorochan
From March 24-28, campus goers were presented the opportunity to explore topics of addiction and recovery through art. This exhibition filled the Little Gallery with thought provoking pieces from walls to ceiling. The UCalgary Recovery Community in collaboration with STEM Art Hub selected works by local and student artists. Speaking on this exhibition as Gallery Coordinator, second year Masters of Fine Arts student Kat Pisani provided further insight to the Gauntlet.
“Art has always been a powerful tool for self expression, but for many of us, it’s also a means of survival, healing and processing experiences that often feel captured,” Pisani said in her opening remarks.
Walking through the gallery, this becomes evident. With vibrant and rich colouring being a common theme in many works, these pieces capture the eye and draw the viewer in for deeper interpretation. Purple is the New Black depicts a striking abstract portrait with a striking palette. Using mixed mediums, including paper cutouts from the Gauntlet, Nyaga’s work may suggest themes of cyclical consumption. By utilizing pieces of local media, Nyaga looks to explore aspects of racial identity and culture and how these concepts influence addiction.
In a similar medium, Arenea Huang picks on the most striking cutouts from what is assumed to be old magazines and cultural artifacts to compose a two part story. This narrative work examines cigarette addictions, and their potential power to consume a person. Although Huang’s work seeps with detailed commentary through text and image cutouts, the pieces leave viewers feeling isolated — similar to addiction.
“The diversity of media on display speaks to the deeply personal and varied ways individuals process their experiences, making the exhibition a truly moving testament to the power versus state expression.” Pisani said.
Pieces that truly prove this point are works by Mike Sorochan and Dana Huynh. Equally captivating in unique ways, these pieces employ diverse mediums to transport audiences into their own experiences.
Andre is a Good Dude by Sorochan was projected on a blank wall throughout the presentation of this gallery. The most impactful aspect of this piece was its ability to influence the overall message of this gallery by repeating a recorded monologue. Lines working to normalize discussion on addiction echoed through the gallery, pulling together the diverse thematic undertones from other pieces. Sorochan, through his art as well as his organization SMART Recovery, aims to create a ‘stigma free environment’ that embraces recovery.
Huynh’s I remember is an interactive piece, using a pair of dice to lead viewers to a corresponding envelope with a memory inside. Both pieces look at addiction, but from different perspectives. While Sorochan’s piece examines the experience of the individual experiencing addiction first hand, Huynh’s piece shares her experience of viewing someone close to her experiencing addiction. These diverse forms of media embody diverse experiences that share underlying themes.
After reflecting on the work of others Pisani took the time to unpack her own contribution to the gallery: Cement Shoes.
“The shoes are meant to emulate the set of shoes hanging from a telephone, something many of us have seen growing up, but like myself I didn’t fully understand the meaning behind it. I have chosen to engage in the idea that they represent drug activity in the site of mourning,” Pisani said.
The accreditation card for this work is laid on a minimalistic white display box, prompting viewers to ‘Look it up’, if they did not understand the references described. With this, many viewers were taken back by the cement encased Converse hanging overhead.
“Cement is bleak and lifeless. Visibly and physically drains vitality from which it encases… Cement is a foundational material and when it soaks into fabric it becomes inseparable. This to me represents how trauma seeps into us and shapes our development,” Pisani said.
This work left viewers with their heads tilted back for minutes on end. It truly is remarkable how such a simple piece can hold such symbolic meaning. Pisani commented on this phenomena:
“The works in this space are not just objects, they are manifestations of struggle, resilience, and transformation,” she said.
Pisani hopes that while leaving this gallery students understand that spaces like this are intended to help break the stigma around addiction and open conversations surrounding recovery. Furthermore, the diversity of the displayed works should be understood to communicate the variety of addictions students may face – something that Pisani emphasised.
“People don’t always know what qualifies as addiction. In a lot of ways people think that drugs and alcohol are addictions, but the truth is that everyone is living with addiction nowadays,” Pisani said, while speaking on art addressing social media addictions.
Events like these help communities come together to address prominent issues like addictions. Whether it’s through short film, newspaper clippings or suspended cement art is capable of sharing experiences and creating a shared space. Expanding on her work, Pisani invites readers to attend an extended performance of her work from April 22 to May 2 in The Little Gallery to continue these conversations.