“Objects of Addiction” examines the inseparable relationship of the opium trade and the Chinese art market during the late–18th and early–20th centuries. The exhibition opens with a study of the history of the opium trade, presenting, for example, the role Massachusetts played in the trade and the impact this had on the Qing dynasty. An estimated 10 percent of the Chinese population, or 40 million people, were addicted at the time. Shifting into art history, the exhibition then explores the growing interest that Europe and the United States had in Chinese art after the Opium Wars. Buddhist sculptures, jades, and other pieces are displayed throughout the show. Finally, the opium trade is linked to the current opioid crisis in Massachusetts. A series of events around the subject hope to encourage helping and healing. —Jeanne Malle