Chris Ellis had barely slept for a week and was in the darkest depths of his 10-year drug addiction when he felt a sudden urge to paint.
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He rummaged around for art supplies and let his feelings pour out of him on to a blank canvas.
From Thursday, his self-portrait will be among 100 artworks projected on to Melbourne laneways and landmarks including Federation Square and Town Hall.
"I always found peace in creating artwork when I was in that headspace. It sort of gave me a sense of achievement," Mr Ellis told AAP.
"We're just human beings like everybody else, and it's not a lifelong goal to become an addict."
Since producing the artwork in 2018, Mr Ellis has turned his life around after a stint in rehab and is now studying a diploma of community services.
"It's an amazing opportunity to be a part of a really, really good cause and also to showcase some of our artwork. There's some very creative people that unfortunately, suffer from addiction," he said.
The Beyond the Stigma - Laneway Light exhibition was created by community health service Cohealth to mark International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31.
All 29 artists involved have experienced drug addition themselves or are related to someone who has. The youngest contributor is just nine years old.
"Some of the artists are homeless, some are farmers in regional Victoria, some other artists are studying for their PhD," Cohealth CEO Nicole Bartholomeusz told AAP.
"It's about going beyond the stigma, humanising the impact of of addiction and the impact that it has on on family and the broader community," she said.
Australia's Annual Overdose Report 2021 showed 2227 Australians died from drug-induced deaths in 2019, and almost three-quarters of those were unintentional.
"We know that in Australia, deaths from overdoses have outnumbered the road toll since 2014," Ms Bartholomeusz said.
"We know that if we can actually address the stigma ... the people who experienced this health issue will feel much more comfortable to come forward and to seek the treatment and care that they need."
The Beyond the Stigma - Laneway Light exhibition will begin on Thursday at 6pm in Westwood Place and run each night in a different location until the end of the month.
Australian Associated Press
