Running from 30 May 2025 to 13 February 2026, Hooked: 500 Years of Addiction is a free exhibition hosted by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, located on Queen Street.
To amend a Shakespearean line from a play about a ‘love-drug’: though the exhibition be but little, she is fierce. The room’s low lighting and deep colours set the heavy, reflective tone as soon as you enter. First, you come to a poignant series of photographs by West Lothian-born artist, Graham MacIndoe. Immediately apparent is the low quality of the photography equipment used; the accompanying plaque explains that MacIndoe sold his expensive technology as a way to fund his addiction to crack cocaine and heroin. In hazy grain and shadows, the images reveal snapshots of his addiction, something MacIndoe looks back on with neither shame nor pride. This is the same attitude adopted by the exhibition.
Addiction is presented from a neutral, unprejudiced stance.
Although the title of the exhibition would suggest periodisation, the objects on display are not ordered chronologically — or, it seems, thematically. In each of the three cases on show, there is a mix of contents ranging the centuries and addictions: tobacco pipes, opium advertisements, gambling games, and anti-drug film posters are arranged side-by-side. While this is somewhat disconcerting, it is effective in illustrating the perennial nature of addiction in its every form.
From the beginning, the exhibition clarified that ‘addiction’ has changed meaning throughout time, and that debates about what can be addictive persist today. Historical perceptions of addiction are also brought to the fore. In the Victorian era, the upper and middle classes viewed their own drug-taking as habitual, but that of the lower class as dangerous and undesirable. Furthermore, the role of enslaved people in producing the substances consumed by European society is not downplayed.
Overall, this is a small but thought-provoking exhibition, exploring who has profited from, prescribed, and taken addictive substances over the last few centuries. Visitors in the guest book have shared some personal connections to the displays, some advocating for wider education about addiction to combat the misinformation spread — something this free experience is a step towards.
“Drugs” by Brandon Giesbrecht is licensed under CC BY 2.0.