Social Art Collective is proud to present Heroin Stamp Project, an exhibition focusing on the branding of heroin in New York City. At once beautiful and unsettling, the images in the exhibit illustrate a complex narrative around public health and preventable consequences of injection drug use. Social Art Collective seeks art as a conduit to open discussion on pressing social issues. Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, Ashly Jordan, Liza Vadnai, David Siemenski, Lisha Perez, Nestor Gonzalez, and Nirah Johnson are the artists that embody the Collective, merging their artistic and professional expertise in fields such as sociology, public health and marketing.


Social Art Collective is based in New York City.
For media inquiries please contact Liza Vadnai at liza.vadnai@gmail.com.
For general inquiries please contact Ashly Jordan at ashly.elizabeth.jordan@gmail.com.

6 Jul 10
5 Jul 10

More photos of the Heroin Stamp Project opening!

28 Jun 10

The opening night of the Heroin Stamp Project at White Box. 

22 Jun 10
7 Jun 10
11 Feb 10
7 Feb 10

In the New York City drug trade, as in many enterprises, marketing and branding is key.
The words and images stamped on packets of heroin — from the phrase “Cop n Go” to “White Fang” - serve the same purpose as a corporate logo. The images and phrases are used to brand a particular set of stamp bags, and brand a particular batch of heroin known on the streets by that stamp.
For decades these stamps have bred brand loyalties that walk a very thin line between dying and getting a good high: the most popular stamps are most often the most potent and deadly. Blown up larger than life these beautiful, fascinating and unsettling images of the stamps hint at a complex chain from supplier to dealer, the dynamics of drug markets and the story of the marketing of addiction on the streets of NYC.

In the New York City drug trade, as in many enterprises, marketing and branding is key.

The words and images stamped on packets of heroin — from the phrase “Cop n Go” to “White Fang” - serve the same purpose as a corporate logo. The images and phrases are used to brand a particular set of stamp bags, and brand a particular batch of heroin known on the streets by that stamp.

For decades these stamps have bred brand loyalties that walk a very thin line between dying and getting a good high: the most popular stamps are most often the most potent and deadly. Blown up larger than life these beautiful, fascinating and unsettling images of the stamps hint at a complex chain from supplier to dealer, the dynamics of drug markets and the story of the marketing of addiction on the streets of NYC.

4 Feb 10