Euphoric Sedation

by Miles Scott

Euphoric Sedation is the publicly released debut by Melbourne based artist Kareem Soliman. The series utilises Codeine as a device to explore the often contradictory and hypocritical relationship between socially constructed belief systems which encourage the vilification and condemnation of those that do not fit mainstream ideals and what is considered acceptable. Born from an observation of the judgement meted out by those against non-conformists and justified by unquestioned principles and unchallenged ignorance, the 'Euphoric Sedation' capsule collection invites you to be an active participant in a silent subversion against the sort of society that is happy to sit back in their glass houses throwing stones from within the socially accepted numbness of their Soma induced stupor.

Each collection within the Euphoric Sedation series parallels Kareem’s creative approach; investigating the interplay of colours, form and aesthetics, with each collection available concurrently to highlight the evolution of the concept. The ongoing availability of the collection is an intentional contrast to the transient and ephemeral nature of fashion, where seasonal collections seem to lose relevance shortly after their release. In this way, the series is intended to share greater similarities with the music industry, where each release by an artist, while different and varied, will in and of itself be a reflection of their growth and an expansion of what remains uniquely their sound.

The final outcome of this first collection is a highly-edited representation of several revisions and iterations testing the embellished design feature against various colour combinations, including placement and size to most accurately convey Kareem’s sentiment of a neomodern take on “successfully" manufactured ‘90s hip-hop style pop groups.