Liquid Knowledges

Liquid Knowledge Presents: A Hemp & Cannabis History explores and celebrates a one-of-a-kind plant beyond the propaganda. While Hemp originated in Asia, this import to the new world has had quite a checkered history, especially in the pharmaceutical world. It is time to revisit its history and provide a larger understanding of its inherent qualities and possibilities, particularly in this new world where it is swiftly becoming a major crop.

At the core of the exhibition is the life and work of Don Wirtshafter, a retired attorney now living in Ohio, whose activism concerns the legal aspect of this commodity here in the US and who has assembled a fascinating collection of industrial and pharmaceutical items concerning the plant. The exhibition also explores the unique journey of the hemp and cannabis plants around the world, and details their uses and stereotypes over time. Hemp and cannabis have been both treasured and demonized, with a varied history that few other plants can claim. This exhibition traces the plant’s transformation from legalization to criminalization and back again to legalization.

The exhibition includes a large selection from Wirtshafter’s collection, curated and installed by celebrated contemporary artist Edouard Duval-Carrié in association with the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance. The artifacts date from the mid-1800s, prior to the prohibition of Hemp, into the 20th century and present day. In conjunction with the collection of artifacts are seven large-scale documentary photographs by world- renowned photojournalist Carl-Philippe Juste in association with Iris PhotoCollective. This series of photographs explores Wirtshafter’s life and work. Juste has created a visual record of Wirtshafter’s collection of artifacts, and a memoir of his life, personality and mission. Duval-Carrié is also producing a new work for the exhibition.

With our partner and sponsor of the event, Marimberos, an organization dedicated to the history and culture of Hemp and Cannabis, the exhibition will then move onto Cartagena, Colombia in 2022, where a world-class Hemp and Cannabis museum is being developed in the walled city.