Dress Up Against AIDS: Condom Couture by Adriana Bertini

December 1, 2006 – March 11, 2007

Dress Up Against AIDS features fourteen magnificent garments designed and produced by Brazilian artist Adriana Bertini, made entirely of condoms rejected by industry quality tests. By appropriating an object of protection and using it to create works of vibrant and original style, color, and texture, Bertini seeks to raise awareness of and inspire the use of condoms, the critical vehicle for preventing AIDS. These colorful, sensual clothes, including ornate evening dresses, vivid skirts and tops, and elegant suits, demystify and destigmatize condoms and “refashion” them as objects associated with pleasure.

Exhibition in Depth

‘Dress Up Against AIDS’ features fourteen magnificent garments designed and produced by Brazilian artist Adriana Bertini, made entirely of men’s and women’s condoms rejected by industry quality tests. By appropriating an object of protection and using it to create works of vibrant and original style, color, and texture, Bertini seeks to raise awareness of and inspire the use of condoms, the critical vehicle for preventing HIV transmission. These colorful, sensual clothes, including ornate evening dresses, vivid skirts and tops, and elegant suits, demystify and destigmatize condoms and “refashion” them as objects associated with pleasure.

Context of this Project

Now in its 19th year, World AIDS Day aims to bring attention to the worldwide challenges and consequences of the AIDS epidemic, in order to prevent the spread of HIV and improve the lives of people living with the virus. On Dec. 1, 2006 UCLA will present a day-long, campus-wide, cross-departmental commemoration of World AIDS Day 2006, including the opening of two major art installations: ‘Dress Up Against AIDS: Condom Couture by Adriana Bertini’ on display at the Fowler Museum, and ‘The Keiskamma Altarpiece: Transcending AIDS in South Africa’ on display in the Glorya Kaufman Dance Theater.

About the Collaborators

Fowler Museum at UCLA

The Fowler Museum explores art and material culture primarily from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas, past and present. The Fowler seeks to enhance understanding and appreciation of the diverse peoples, cultures, and religions of the world through highly contextualized interpretive exhibitions, publications, and public programming, informed by interdisciplinary approaches and the perspectives of the cultures represented. https://www.fowler.ucla.edu

UCLA AIDS Institute

The UCLA AIDS Institute is a multidisciplinary think tank drawing on the skills of top-flight researchers in the worldwide fight against HIV and AIDS, the first cases of which were reported in 1981 by UCLA physicians. Institute members, led by Dr. Irvin Chen, include researchers in virology and immunology, genetics, cancer, neurology, ophthalmology, epidemiology, social science, public health, nursing, and disease prevention. Their findings have led to advances in treating HIV as well as other diseases, such as hepatitis B and C, influenza, and cancer. http://www.uclaaidsinstitute.org

The Art | Global Health Center at UCLA

The Art | Global Health Center at UCLA serves as the umbrella for the international Make Art/Stop AIDS project, a network of artists working with experts in public health and medicine to intervene in the AIDS epidemic. The exhibition of ‘The Keiskamma Altarpiece’ marks the inauguration of this new center, which is directed by David Gere, associate professor and co-chair of the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures.

Artists for a New South Africa

Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating the African AIDS pandemic and advancing democracy and equality in South Africa. ANSA also works to further civil rights and safeguard voting rights in the U.S. In partnership with South African and American organizations, grassroots movements, leaders, artists and activists, ANSA works to make a difference through public education and mobilization, advocacy, grantmaking, media campaigns and the provision of material aid. http://www.ansafrica.org

Press Release

Dress Up Against AIDS: Condom Couture by Adriana Bertini

Exhibition Credits

This presentation is part of MAKE ART/STOP AIDS, an arts and AIDS awareness and prevention initiative developed by the Art|Global Health Center at UCLA in partnership with the Fowler Museum, UCLA AIDS Institute, Artists for a New South Africa, UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures, James S. Coleman Center for African Studies, and School of Film, Theater and Television, Durban Art Gallery, Magic Johnson Foundation, and Los Angeles Unified School District.

The exhibition and accompanying public programs were made possible with support from UCLA’s Center for Community Partnerships and Office of Instructional Development, University of California Institute for Research in the Arts, and Gere Foundation. Additional support provided by the Consulate General of Brazil in Los Angeles and Hotel Angeleno.