‘Speedy on Adderall’ 2020

Ben Frost, born in 1975, produced 'Speedy on Adderall' using materials and processes that challenge traditional art forms. This is not oil on canvas, or bronze, but rather a subversion of commercial printing: a medicine box rendered as Pop Art. The material is significant because it highlights the inherent qualities of mass-produced packaging, with its prescribed function of selling pharmaceuticals, or rather the promise of those pharmaceuticals. Frost juxtaposes this with the cartoon character Speedy Gonzales, the Looney Tunes mouse celebrated for his speed, imbuing the artwork with social commentary. It's a sly connection between cartoonish exuberance, and the darker realities of prescription drug culture. Frost deliberately engages with the aesthetics of consumerism to draw attention to wider social issues, pointing to the mass consumption of medication. By taking this commercial form, he prompts us to consider the nature of value in art, blurring the lines between design, craft, and social critique.