Unknown Artist, Saves Lives, 1998, inkjet print, 10 x 8 cm. Courtesy of The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users Archive.
Unknown Artist, Killing Fields Oppenheimer, 2005, inkjet print, 21 x 26 cm. Courtesy of The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users Archive.
Unknown Artist, LD Drug Bust, 2007, inkjet print, 18 x 24 cm. Courtesy of The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users Archive.
Unknown Artist, Saves Lives, 1998, inkjet print, 10 x 8 cm. Courtesy of The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users Archive.
Unknown Artist, Killing Fields Oppenheimer, 2005, inkjet print, 21 x 26 cm. Courtesy of The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users Archive.
Unknown Artist, LD Drug Bust, 2007, inkjet print, 18 x 24 cm. Courtesy of The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users Archive.
To Be Belligerent//To Commit To Memory//To Live Without Fear
Opening Reception:
Thursday, April 11, 7 – 9 pm
To Be Belligerent//To Commit To Memory//To Live Without Fear is an exhibition marking the 25th anniversary of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), featuring images and ephemera from the organization’s archive. Since its inception, VANDU has acted as one of the pillars of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) community and has fastidiously advocated for the rights and freedoms of all drug users, especially those situated in this area.
VANDU initially began as a drug liberation movement, and in the course of its 25-year history, the democratic collective, which comprises current and former users, has become one of the most influential voices in the DTES. The collective has contributed its resources and manpower to engaging in local issues pertaining to the region, best exemplified in its contributions to the battle for safe supply and safe injection sites; its advocation against prejudice in public policy and government neglect of the residents; its harm reduction and community building; and, most importantly, its guerrilla activism and organizing against the decampment, dispossession, and dehumanization of the residents at the hands of the powers that be.
This exhibition surveys VANDU’s archival history and addresses the arch of the organization’s successes and failings. Through a range of images embodying collective action, intimacy, protest, violence, friendship, commemoration, and the politics tied to one’s embodiment, this exhibition problematizes an inflammatory understanding of the residents of the DTES and creates a pathway for dialogue on what bodies, circumstances, and actions might cause one to be labelled belligerent in our hegemonic social imagination.
Curated by Olumoroti (Moroti) Soji-George with curatorial support from the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.
ABOUT VANDU
The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) was formed in 1998 to bring together groups of people who use drugs. VANDU is dedicated to improving the lives of drug users, their families, and our communities.
VANDU is committed to increasing the capacity of people who use illicit drugs to live healthy and productive lives. We do this by affirming and strengthening people who use illicit drugs to reduce harm both to themselves and their communities. We organize in our communities to save lives by promoting local, regional, and national harm reduction education and interventions.
