Every last condom that South African artist Fiona Kirkwood places on the 24-foot longboard in the Fowler Museum will help her spell “survival,” reminding viewers that these unexpectedly artistic pieces of polyurethane are indeed the material of one’s survival.
To spark dialogue and provoke questions among AIDS activists, Robert Sember and David Gere, co-curators and UCLA professors, have invited Kirkwood and other artists from South Africa, Brazil, the United States and India to participate in the “Make Art/Stop AIDS” exhibition debuting at the Fowler on Saturday.
Revolving around seven questions to which society often turns a blind eye, beginning with “What is AIDS?” and ending with “Are you ready to act?” the exhibit serves not only to creatively educate viewers with a global perspective of the crisis, but also to inspire activism among viewers to cease the epidemic.
“I hope people realize that they are implicated in processes that shape this epidemic. Your involvement in AIDS does not require that you yourself be infected, but it requires simply that you are a participant in certain global processes, like helping or participating in the economic systems that shape inequalities in this world,” Sember said.
As one progresses through the museum, the questions become more personalized; questions such as, “Are you afraid to touch?” prompt people to consider their societal role regarding the epidemic.
The middle sections address the controversial issues of condom use and drug access.
“They are questions that we thought would be interesting guides for people to develop relationships with the work. We wanted to raise a number of issues, and at the same time enable the work of those different groupings to interact with each other, so that people can actually make some complicated connections,” Sember said.
Dividing the “What is AIDS?” section from the “Who lives, who dies?” section is a screen of beads, a pattern of seven strands of ruby red followed by one that is crystal clear, that viewers are invited to walk through. Titled “Blood,” the artwork is attributed to Felix Gonzalez-Torres.
“It’s like you are coming through the artist’s bloodstream,” Gere said of the work.
Sember and Gere’s connections abroad ““ Sember was born and raised in South Africa and has work experience in Brazil, and Gere worked extensively in India ““ allowed them to develop a global curatorial team with whom they selected and requested art for the exhibit.
“As a collective, (the chosen countries) represent a very important overview of a range of critical issues related to the AIDS epidemic,” Sember said.
The unrestricted nature of the exhibit has allowed Sember and Gere to examine the purpose of art institutions regarding social and political issues.
“This show is as much about provoking a museum to think about its role now and in the future, in relation to political or social crisis, as it is about showing work about the AIDS epidemic. In a certain sense it is an activist intervention into the institutions of the art world,” Sember said.
Artists have taken full advantage of this freedom. Artist Robert Gober created a piece, included in but not specifically made for the exhibit, of a flesh-colored candle, erect on a beeswax base covered with human hair, which resembles a human penis.
“I see first of all the pleasure associated with burning candle and the pleasure associated with a candle that looks like a penis. There is also the danger involved. Dare we light this candle? If we do, will it light a fire? All of these themes work together so complexly in this piece,” Gere said upon examining the artwork.
Jean Carlomusto, a New York-based artist whose art is featured in the exhibit, expands on societal censorship regarding AIDS-related topics.
“We are trying to create a culture where people can talk about sex and intimacy in a way that isn’t censorious. We don’t allow any honest dialogue about sexuality in this country, and on the other hand, we sell sex with everything. Hopefully this installation provides places where we can textualize these discussions,” she said.
As a related project to the exhibit, Kevin Kane directed a performance piece titled, “Flesh & Blood,” portraying how HIV/AIDS has affected teenagers globally, with the purpose of conveying a similar message.
“I’m trying hard not to be preachy about safe sex and abstinence. Instead I wanted to send a subtle message for students to be informed about their own body and sexuality,” he said. “Artistic impression makes a different impact that can be emotional and psychological and penetrate a little deeper.”
Upon exiting the art exhibition, viewers will be handed a booklet titled, “Now It’s in Your Hands,” inspiring the audience to take a hands-on approach to developing a global AIDS citizenship.
“What we are interested in is art that grabs you by the throat, goes deep under your belly, or gets under your feet and makes you move differently in the world. That is why this exhibition exists,” Gere said.