Artist Extraordinaire Antonia Rolls is visiting Glasgow to deliver workshops and her renowned exhibition “Addicts And Those Who Love Them” alongside charity Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs.
The open and free exhibition will be displayed at Edward House in Sauchiehall Street on Sunday 24th March from 12pm – 6pm with Antonia there to chat to attendees about her work. The exhibition is the first of its kind for Scottish Families and will focus on grief of losing someone we love and living beyond loss. It will focus on understanding substance use and creating a space of empathy, understanding and hope.
The exhibition is vital for families affected by alcohol and drugs to connect with how they are feeling, be creative, and give time back to themselves which is often non-existent in their chaotic lives. The sold-out workshops on the Saturday will see family members hear about Antonia’s personal experiences of grief, the complexities of substance use and how to find resilience in a difficult life. In the afternoon, family members will work together to make creative pieces of art called life boards, some which will be available to view at the Sunday exhibition.
Antonia Rolls comments:
“Addicts and Those Who Love Them is an exhibition about love, humanity and the truth. Drugs and alcohol destroy lives, communities and families but we still love them unconditionally. Despite the chaos so many of us don’t give up. I have painted portraits of people in addiction, out of it and those working alongside it to help. The exhibition was inspired wanting to understand my son’s addictions and alcoholism, and though he did not make it and died last year, the exhibition has created huge compassion and connections for me and those in it.
I am so honoured to be working with Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs for this hugely important Cost of Loving weekend. The work they do is very important, supporting anyone suffering from drug and alcohol problems. I have loved planning this weekend with them and am grateful to them for their kindness and hard work.”
Scottish Families CEO, Justina Murray, says:
“It is a huge privilege to welcome Antonia Rolls to Glasgow to lead Scottish Families’ Cost of Loving art exhibition event.
Antonia is a talented and renowned artist, but she is also a mum who has been deeply affected by her son Costya’s substance use, and his tragic early death. She truly understands what life is like for so many of our families, and she is not afraid to express how this really looks and feels.
There is so much stigma, shame and secrecy around alcohol and drug use in the family, and family members often find themselves ignored, judged and shut out. Antonia has stepped into this space so families can be seen and heard, and to share her own experiences of love, loss, darkness and light.
This will be a safe and inspiring space to reflect, remember, celebrate, challenge and connect. We hope to see you there!”
Scottish Families is working to reduce cost of living pressures for families, and to reach families where alcohol and drug harm has increased as a result. We are very aware that for families affected by a loved one’s alcohol or drug use, the cost of living is just one of the many challenges they face on a daily basis. Our families face an everyday and ongoing crisis which will outlive the timescale of the current financial situation. This is the Cost of Loving, a relentless and exhausting tally of financial, practical, relationship and emotional costs. This art exhibition is only part of our goal to reduce these pressures on families.