Kanishka Shah
Medicating, 2026
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 30 inches
Artist Statement:
Kanishka Shah is a multimedia artist focusing on colorful acrylic paintings with themes of addiction, escape, whimsy and nostalgia.
This piece is a statement on self-medicating and the illusion of things that are sweet for a moment before they melt into your mouth and are no longer to be seen. A slew of pills, lollipops and candy hearts preyed on by ants looking to feast on the sugar, spice, and everything nice. Candy hearts with non-conventional phrases that are casual or passive aggressive speak to the disposition of today's youth: tired, nonchalant, sensual.
A variety of pills, some considered controlled substances are scattered with an almost organized chaos. Xanax, Gabapentin, Klonopin, Hydrocodone, Trazodone, a cocktail of sedation and hazy memories and letting go of all that troubles the mind. Cherry flavored Valentine's lollipops for the love we yearn for, the desire that just one person would think of you enough to pick out a rose or candygram and put your name on it.
Ants come in, as if to feed on the longing for joy and the temporary peace that we derive from these vices. It's decorated with sweet little glittering hearts and stars, each individually hole punched from decorative paper to fill up the negative space, because even when we partake in our escapes, it's hard to truly feel like there's room to breathe.
