Who Are We Hurting: An exhibit confronting the cannabis prohibition in australia
WHO ARE WE HURTING
A Sydney exhibition turning the current Cannabis Prohibition in Australia into a live confrontational experience. A decade of high-profile cannabis activism, public stunts, and legal challenges will culminate in a major new exhibition opening this April in Sydney.
“Who Are We Hurting”, presented by the Who Are We Hurting Collective, will run from April 18–21, 2026 at Gallery Brave in Surry Hills’ iconic Hibernian Building, bringing together ten years of cultural interventions that have consistently challenged Australia’s cannabis laws.
WHEN POLICY BECOMES PERSONAL
Rather than presenting cannabis prohibition as an abstract policy issue, the exhibition places audiences directly inside its consequences. At its centre is a large-scale installation recreating a detention environment — confronting visitors with the reality faced by individuals charged and penalised for cannabis-related offences. The work shifts the conversation away from debate and toward lived experience, asking audiences to consider not just the legality of cannabis, but the human cost of enforcing its prohibition.
FROM STREET-LEVEL PROTEST TO GALLERY INSTALLATION
Founded by Australian activists Will Stolk and Alec “Craze” Zammitt, the Who Are We Hurting Collective has spent nearly a decade staging bold, large-scale public interventions designed to provoke conversation and challenge the realities of cannabis prohibition.
Their work has become widely recognised for its visibility, ambition, and willingness to operate outside traditional systems. Over the years, the collective has executed a series of high-impact actions, including:
Projecting pro-cannabis messaging onto major Sydney landmarks such as the Opera House and Harbour Bridge
Large-scale protest convoys to challenge drug-driving laws
Installing public sculptures and guerrilla artworks in prominent civic locations
Delivering symbolic financial gestures highlighting the economic contradictions of prohibition
Creating temporary grow-room installations and public activations across the CBD
These works have consistently drawn media attention and legal scrutiny, positioning the collective at the centre of Australia’s cannabis reform conversation.
THE REALITY: ONGOING ENFORCEMENT IN NSW
Despite growing public support for reform, cannabis remains illegal across most of Australia, including New South Wales. Each year, thousands of Australians continue to face: criminal charges and court appearances, fines and license suspensions, Long-term impacts on employment and travel.
The exhibition situates these realities within a broader cultural and policy context — highlighting the gap between shifting public attitudes and current legal frameworks.
FROM AWARENESS TO ACTION
Beyond raising awareness, the exhibition is designed to encourage tangible engagement.
Visitors will be able to:
Access information on current cannabis laws in NSW
Connect with advocacy and reform organisations
Engage with resources outlining pathways for policy change
Participate in conversations around law reform and harm reduction
By extending beyond the gallery space, the project aims to move audiences from observation to participation.
A FITTING HOME: GALLERY BRAVE & HIBERNIAN BUILDING
The exhibition takes place at Gallery Brave, located inside the historic Hibernian Building in Surry Hills — one of Sydney’s most established creative hubs.
FROM ACTIVISM TO CULTURAL MOVEMENT
Over the past decade, the collective’s work has evolved from guerrilla protest into a broader cultural movement. Blending elements of street art, performance, protest, and visual media, their practice sits at the intersection of contemporary art and political activism — consistently challenging audiences to reconsider established narratives around cannabis and its legal status.
Pop out to the exhibition if you are based in New Wales and join the movement. Crazy that cannabis is still illegal in Australia.
