Matthew Brandt, American, born 1982
NGC 6853 (Night Skies), 2016
This photograph is of one of Matthew Brandt’s displays, NGC 6853, in his series, Night Skies. While this series appears to be made out of a series of prints, these are actually backdrops of black velvet that have had cocaine spilt onto them. This display symbolizes deception through the use of natural objects. Similar to the way that after filtration, water may appear clear even though it is contaminated, this display at first looks like a print meant to capture the beauty of a clear night sky however, it is actually made up of a toxic drug with the ability to poison, kill, and ruin lives. Label by Jordan Stofko