I visited the Making Strange exhibit at the UCLA Fowler Museum, which shows the work of Vivian Sundaram. Sundaram is considered the one of the most popular multimedia artists in India today. His work in Making Strange consists of two different projects: Gagawaka and Postmortem. Gagawaka includes twenty seven pieces made of recycled materials and medical supplies such as ace bandages, paper cups and sponges (seen below). Postmortem is a collection of mannequins, dummies and other wooden pieces that portray a haunting message about the field of medicine and health.
A couple of my favorite pieces included medical support pieces. As an athlete, I appreciated these sculptures because I use orthopedic supports everyday to play my sport; Sundaram used these everyday materials to create something beautiful and unique. On the right is the “Pinafore” (2011) and on the left is the “YSL” (2011). Both mannequins are adorned with lycra orthopedic supports and act as a representation of distorted body image.
His work is not simply about beauty and materials. He uses the power of art to communicate messages and to require people to think about the world. Some of the messages he is trying to communicate include the definition of beauty, how human bodies are perceived, mental health and illness, as well as life and death. For this reason, Sundaram is not only an artist but also a political activist.
I would absolutely recommend that other students visit Making Strange. Interestingly enough, Sundaram has never had a solo exhibition anywhere! The UCLA Fowler Museum is the first museum to ever pick up his work and put it on display. This makes for a special experience as a UCLA student. The everyday, and otherwise boring, materials that Sundaram uses makes extremely unique pieces and a colorful exhibit. Go see it!
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