The Grand History of Cannabis | The Beginning

In 2002, I received an email from the Spanish social club La Creme Gracia, asking if we could create an artwork that would span the whole width of the Grand Smoke Room of the club — depicting, in a similar style to the Bayeux Tapestry, the history of cannabis.

Covid was just behind us. Raids on the social clubs in Barcelona had cooled off, and Stefan, owner and founder of La Creme Gracia, felt that the club needed a new impulse. Having grown uninspired and tired of the hustle and bustle of running the club every day, Stefan was in dire need of new creative energy in the club. Looking back now, I think we were both searching for something.

I felt the same way. At the time, I was really enjoying my work, creating a lot of pieces that resonated with people around the globe. I was, and still am, very thankful that I can live my life as an artist and a father. But deep down, I was also looking for a bit more purpose.

I had always been advocating for cannabis through my work. It is the common thread throughout my work and my path as an artist. Having had the luck and privilege of working with some very cool people from the industry, I still wanted my work to make a deeper impact and tell stories.

So when this project landed in my inbox, I saw it as a pivotal moment.

I had worked with Stefan on plenty of previous projects, and over the years we had built a friendship that naturally grew towards the Grand History of Cannabis project. We started work right away, both extremely energized by this new project and the challenge ahead.

Our goal was to finish it in time for a grand exhibition during Spannabis weekend in 2022. It was the kick-start of our project.

The making of the artwork was like climbing a giant mountain. It was by far the biggest ink drawing I had ever made in my life, and it was filled with subjects and characters I had never drawn before.

Through the work, I learned a lot about the history of this plant. Even now that we have started working on artwork number four and book number three, I see these projects as a way to submerge myself into these stories. While creating, I learn. It is incredibly rewarding.

Spannabis weekend came, and the exhibition was an overwhelming success. Many people came and visited the club, spending hours sitting on the comfortable couches at La Creme, gazing up at the eight-metre-wide wall of art.

But we noticed something happening. People started asking questions. Who is this character? Why is that woman on there being burned? Why is Napoleon in there? And why does it end with a green train? We had never anticipated this. But we realized that the artwork was getting people interested in learning more about the characters and the stories behind them. Conversations were sparked, and seeds were planted in the minds of the onlookers.

We decided then and there that we wanted to take this further — to build something that could become a place of learning, conversation, and bridge-building through art and words.