Event 1: "Making Strange" at the UCLA Fowler Museum

For the first time ever, popular multimedia artist Vivan Sundaram has his work Making Strange on display at the UCLA Fowler Museum. The exhibit is comprised of two separate projects called Gagawaka and Postmortem. Both bring about ideas of life, death, aging, body image, mental health, illness and injury by creating high-fashion pieces with materials frequently used in medicine. "Floater" (2011), seen below, is a good example of this with the inflatable plastic dress, plastic tubes, and orthopedic supports.

The unique sculptures and unusual recycled materials are intended to make a powerful statement on a variety of issues. Thus, Sundaram is considered an artist and a political activist. He is said to have found the inspiration to create such controversial pieces from his education at the Slade School of Art in London. Upon his return to India, he created an “activist-oriented art collective” that encouraged artistic freedoms; these freedoms are embodied in the Making Strange exhibit (Making Strange exhibit).

One of my favorite pieces was the “Wired Torso” (2013), seen below. It is a half-bodied mannequin hung from a wall facing downward and is created with fiberglass body organs, wires and anatomy samples. To me, the downward facing angle seemed to be representative of human pain tolerance; the angle symbolizes the unknown in science, and the material symbolizes the complexity it will take to wipe away pain altogether.



I also liked the 12 ft. paper cup sculpture called “Effigy” (2011), seen below. It was pieces like this that were fun to see because they are extremely innovative by recycling materials found in a doctor’s office to portray a deeper meaning. Sundaram’s work shows that art is not merely something that is painted or something that communicates a single message. Art is the creation of something pioneering, something without limits and something that affects our world. Making Strange gives the viewer an experience that is educational and inspirational.




I definitely recommend Making Strange to my classmates. We have the rare opportunity to see an exhibit of an artist from another continent, who speaks another language and lives in a different culture. The art acts as a medium to portray messages that span across cultures and speak powerful messages to all without words.