A blog about the 16th International AIDS Conference, Toronto, Canada, August 13-18, 2006.
Condoms are part of the fabric of Adriana Bentin's life. The 35-year-old artist has been working with them as a raw material for 10 years, and her most recent creation is a line of woman's dresses entirely crafted from condoms. The new collection, which she's been working on since the Bangkok AIDS conference two years ago, went on display here today. Its message? Wear it. "I tried to do other kinds of art objects but felt that the clothes were something that really worked because people can get close to the condoms - more intimate," said Adriana, when I met with her earlier today. Her goal is no less than to change the condom's image. She and fellow Brazilian Lia Vainer Schuman, who holds a master's degree in psychology, are collaborating on a research project to study the image of condoms among the public, and whether art can serve to change that image.
You can learn more about Adriana's work at her web site: adrianabertini.com.br (in English and Portuguese). Most of the pieces took approximately 200 hours to prepare and used more than 2,000 condoms that did not pass quality control.
Adriana plans to unveil a collection for men at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in 2008.
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