Explore the Depths of Your Psyche with Trippy, Dark Psychedelic Art

Psychedelics can take you to many places and evoke many states: mirth, joy, awe, fascination, and sometimes… sadness. Psychedelic art accordingly covers the vast array of human emotions, both the light and the dark. Often, sad, dark psychedelic art evokes feelings that make you reflect, helping you find an entry point into your psyche’s shadow regions.

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When it comes to the dark, art representing the psyche’s shadow can still leave a positive impact, making you think and helping you embrace the parts of yourself you push down. Here’s an overview of the history of psychedelic art and some of the dark, sad artwork you can view today.

Psychedelic Artists

First, some history: Psychedelic art has influenced several older art movements, including Dada, surrealism, and art nouveau. While many aspects of the genre were inspired by psychedelic drugs, the term “psychedelic art” applies to any art that explores the depths of the psyche. 

Psychedelic art became part of pop culture in the ‘60s as the hippie movement took hold. Artists like Wes Wilson worked with psychedelic rock artists to create colorful posters representing their music. For instance, his advertisements for The Beatles and Jefferson Airplane. Since then, many artists have utilized tropes from the early psychedelic art movement, including bold, bright colors and warped text.

Famous Works of Psychedelic Art

One of the first well-known pieces of psychedelic art was the Joshua Light Show, a series of swirling lights and colors created from oil and a projector. In the ’60s, it was used as a backdrop for concerts by artists and bands like The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who. Joshua White, the artist behind this exhibit, still makes similar art today.

READ: Everything to Know About LSD Art

Another early famous work of psychedelic art is Zap Comix, a comic series that emerged in the ‘60s featuring trippy characters and psychedelic designs. Artist Robert Crumb pioneered this series, and then other artists like S. Clay Wilson and Robert Williams followed.

This is where the themes of psychedelic art began to get a bit darker, with comics like Gilbert Shelton’s The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, a satirical series featureing stoners getting into mischief as they attempt to procure illicit substances.

Contemporary Psychedelic Artists

The influences of psychedelic art can be seen in many galleries, shops, and websites today. In Los Angeles, you can find melty, warped portrayals of cartoon characters like the Simpsons at Dunkees on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. You can find psychedelic murals with darker themes around Venice Beach, too. For instance, on the sides of buildings, you might find humping bunnies, one of whom is smoking a cigarette, by the local artist Muck Rock. You’ll find a mural of the musicians and artists in the 27 Club: Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison.

New York City artist Alex Aliume creates paintings, sculptures, and “glow-in-the-dark kinetic art” full of neon colors, sacred geometry, and swirls. Inspired by psychedelics and other spiritual experiences like astral travel, his art aims to “remind people about love,” he told Wired, “which is the only thing we can take with us when we go.”

James Fletcher creates dark psychedelic art as well as trippy fashion full of animals, moving landscapes, and extraterrestrial themes.

David Normal’s art includes glowing alien-like sculptures, sci-fi-influenced prints, and colorful cats.

Prague-based graphic artist Hana Alisa Omer explores religious and spiritual themes in impressionistic rainbow colors.

In the tradition of psychedelic art, Japanese American artist Tokio Aoyama designs album covers and music festival posters, particularly for the genres of jazz and R&B, with mysterious patterns and otherworldly elements.

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