DRESSING UP AGAINST AIDS

               

DRESSING UP AGAINST AIDS

By Pamela Omwodo (2006)

               

“Wow”,” Absolutely stunning”, “Creative”…...,

These were some of the comments in Adriana Bertini’s visitor’s book at an exhibition of her master pieces at the 2006, XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto Canada.

Adriana Bertini, a rubber artist from Brazil’s handiwork attracted more than 350 interviews from top international journalists who all sought to interview her.  Speaking in broken English and in a very heavy Spanish accent, Adriana a humble and soft spoken Brazilian artist spent most of her time struggling to answers questions from  hundreds and hundreds of the XVI International AIDS Conference participants who all sort to know more about her unique handiwork, her way of fighting AIDS.

When I first saw the bright and beautiful clothes the mannequins were wearing at her exhibition, I was equally stunned and refused to believe what they were made of.  Despite of a very clear notice at the bottom of every mannequin with the words “DON’T TOUCH”, my eyes refused to see the notice and my hand went forth and did the violation.  I touched to believe.  Thereafter, I could not speak, and opted to take photographs and sort to know who was behind this.  

I later tried severally to get to Adriana for an interview with no success.  Every time I went to her exhibition space, there was either someone interviewing her or a photo session of her works going on. What I did not know was that at the end of the 4 days exhibition I was the 350^th journalist to interview her, each journalist requiring ample time to do their thing. In her own words she apologized saying “Please forgive me if I wasn't able to speak with you or to give you the attention desired due to the great number of people I had to talk to, the stress I had, and the little lack of mood at some moments. Please just understand that between 16th and 18th of August I gave more than 350 interviews to different media which was the reason for my fatigue.”

I was just one of the many journalists let alone interested persons who sort an audience with her and when I finally got the chance to interview her I was ecstatic.

The theme of her exhibition was entitled “DRESSING UP AGAINST AIDS”, a theme so befitting the all condom international designs only seen on fashion catwalks.