Stay Stoned: Madness, Cannabis & Tattoos

From June 18th, 2022, to February 26th, 2023, the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum will display Stay Stoned: Madness, Cannabis & Tattoos. Since its creation in 1987, the museum’s Amsterdam and Barcelona locations have welcomed over two million visitors.

Stay Stoned Vol. II, a new collection of cannabis tattoo art put together by tattoo masters Gilberto Cannarozzi and Samuele “Sem Boy” Salvadori, was released at the same time as the exhibition’s debut.

The Marlboro Man of Marijuana. Both tattooing and cannabis use, whether for ceremonial or recreational purposes, have been a part of human civilizations for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until the early 1970s that tattoos expressing one’s passion for cannabis began to appear.

Since these revolutionary years, pin-up girls, smiling weed leaves, stoned cartoon figures, the Zig-Zag Man (marijuana’s enigmatic counterpart to the Marlboro Man), and cannabis blossoms have been common subjects for permanent décor.

The Zig-Zag Man (marijuana’s enigmatic counterpart to the Marlboro Man), pin-up beauties, grinning weed leaves, stoned cartoon characters, and cannabis blossoms have all become popular subjects for permanent décor since these revolutionary years.

The mainstream from the underground. The stigma around cannabis and tattoos is fading as they become more widely accepted throughout the world. It is no longer necessary to conceal your usage of cannabis or body art in order to get a job advancement or make the “correct impression.” It is quite something to acquire a permanent and obvious symbol of love for the plant, says Ben Dronkers, the founder of the museum. Cannabis tattoos can be “…a confession of love, a defiant statement, a token of freedom, an activist deed, or maybe even a fuzzy decision.”

Flash and paintings. There is no lack of tattoo designs, from complex custom works requiring numerous sessions to the “flash” graphics that are off-the-shelf and adorn the walls of most tattoo parlors. There are at least fifty brand-new paintings, drawings, and flash pieces in the collection Stay Stoned: Madness, Cannabis & Tattoos that present fresh takes on traditional tattoo subjects. These pieces are a part of the newest Stay Stoned volume. The volumes show that the cannabis tattoo genre is still active today by including modern designs and professional artists.

Both a tattoo and a marijuana museum. Danny Boy, Jondix, Bill Loika, Robert Ryan, Tomas Redrey, and Henk & Morris Schiffmacher are a few of the featured musicians. In a strange twist of fate, the exhibition is housed in the former Amsterdam Tattoo Museum! of Henk Schiffmacher.

A selection of works of art from the extensive collection of the Hash Marijuana & Hemp Museum provides historical background for these contemporary creations. The museum can find something to go with any type of exhibition because it has access to almost 9,000 things related to “the Devil’s Lettuce.” In this case, the show is about the colorful, psychedelic posters from the 1970s that provided inspiration for many of the first cannabis tattoos.

Fans of marijuana, tattoos, modern design history, and contemporary subcultures will all find something to like here.

The exhibition Stay Stoned: Madness, Cannabis, and Tattoos are open from June 18 to February 23 in 2023. When purchasing a regular museum ticket, admission is included.

The Hash Marijuana & Hemp Museum oversees and displays a distinctive collection in two locations: a canal house in the heart of Amsterdam and a warehouse in the suburbs.

Barcelona’s modernist palace. Over 9,000 rare artifacts covering all facets of cannabis history and culture make up the museum’s collection.