Store In A Dark Place 2015

Ben Frost made this artwork, 'Store In A Dark Place,' by combining pop imagery with pharmaceutical packaging to make a statement about contemporary culture. Here, the artist creates meaning by juxtaposing familiar visual codes: Mickey Mouse, that global symbol of childlike innocence and corporate entertainment, is placed alongside the branding for Prozac, an antidepressant medication. This unsettling combination speaks volumes about the social conditions of our time. The work serves as a critique of the pharmaceutical industry and perhaps the over-prescription of medication for conditions that may be related to the pressures of modern life, or, dare I say, to the unfulfilled promises of consumer culture. To understand art like this better, we might research the history of pharmaceutical marketing or explore the critical literature on Disney's cultural impact. By investigating the social and institutional contexts of this artwork, we gain a richer understanding of its critique of contemporary society.