Arts bring human dimension to 15th global AIDS meeting

Brazilian dresses made of condoms, a drag show from Indonesia and a special appearance by actor Richard Gere.

These and dozens of other cultural performances, art shows, fashion parades and films from around the world will be featured at the international AIDS conference this month in Bangkok to break the monotony of scientific sessions, organizers said Friday.

Nearly 240 artists, mostly from Asia but also from Africa, the Americas and Europe, will produce more than 70 shows during the 15th International AIDS Conference July 11 to 17, said Chumpon Apisuk, chief coordinator of the cultural program.

“We would like to energize the conference with art and culture, to bring color, to bring it alive,” he said. More than half the performing artists are people living with HIV/AIDS, he said.

The program includes painting and photography exhibitions; a festival of films and documentaries on AIDS; music; modern and traditional dance; poetry; storytelling; puppets; and fashion shows, including one by models infected with HIV.

“We want to show they are human beings. They are normal just like us,” said the artist, whose group, Silabha, is organizing the shows.

A highlight of the six-day cultural extravaganza is Brazilian Adriana Bertini’s condom dresses. Bertini believes her art can provoke reflections on sexual health matters, according to a statement.

Gaya Nusantara will perform a traditional Indonesian dance show in drag, while Gere, the star of films including “An Officer and a Gentleman” and “Pretty Woman,” will appear at the opening of a dance performance by Silabha artists.