Art conveys HIV/AIDS message in candid fashion

MAUREEN ODUBENG
Staff Writer | Friday December 19, 2008 00:00

 

It is against this backdrop that the National Museum, Monuments and Art Gallery is hosting the annual Nna le Seabe HIV/AIDS awareness exhibition, one of the most important events on the calendar, which uses visual art to sensitise the public on the need to join the fight against HIV/AIDS and the importance of committing oneself to zero transmission of HIV/AIDS.

This year's exhibition is quite interesting as it is all encompassing - encouraging individuals to be committed to zero transmission of the virus, while influencing positive living amongst those who are already living with the disease, and at the same time acknowledging the progress Botswana has made in the battle against HIV/AIDS.

The art pieces mounted in the museum's Main Gallery tell different stories and the one that would no doubt immediately catch the visitor's eye is a sequence by Otsetswe Bogosibokae, simply titled: From Bed of Thorns, Over standing, to Bed of Roses.

Using three different pieces of visually appealing mountings, the artist depicts the HIV/AIDS pandemic from the time it hit Botswana to the stage of sensitisation and education of the public on the disease, with the final piece, depicting that efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS are paying handsome dividends.

In his first piece, Bogosibokae shows a number of objects, including beer cans, cigarette packets, and other habit forming substances that interfere with an individual's rationale, covered with painful looking thorns, transmitting the message of the danger associated with the use of such substances.

In his message, summarising the first piece in the sequence, Bogosibokae notes that AIDS came 'not as a friendly visitor, but brutal to the bone, a very thorny issue to Botswana with its spread mostly associated with drug use/abuse, and alcoholism'.

The artwork is self-explanatory. The second piece in the sequence shows the education pamphlets, highlighting information dissemination aimed at sensitising and educating the nation on the disease.

It also has mountings of different items, including condoms, which convey the message of safe sex, and ARVs, which give the assurance that 'being infected is not a death sentence'. The artist's message for this particular piece of work is simply that it is what you know about HIV/AIDS that would save you. 

The third piece simply has roses mounted all over, showing that the fight against HIV/AIDS is bearing fruit. In his message on the last piece, Bogosibokae states that there is hope at the end of the proverbial tunnel, adding that all interventions have yielded positive results. Bogosibokae used mixed media on mattress.

Other interesting artworks include, oil on canvas piece of work titled 'Matlhomatlho' by Sam Dipane. The piece shows promiscuity at its worst, in an environment that looks like a night outing, or perhaps a nightclub. The piece shows different individuals kissing with some kissing more than one partner.

Mokwaledi Gontshwanetse's Sure We Can is another motivating piece of artwork. Using acrylic on canvas, the artist shows a group of people of different ages, both males and females, marching and conveying the message that the war against HIV/AIDS can be won as long as individuals take responsibility and join the battle.

There is yet another artwork, which links alcohol abuse to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The paper mache sculpture titled 'Excessive Drinking Key to HIV/AIDS by Pule Busang, depicts a skinny man playing a traditional instrument, with a phafana (a container used for serving traditional beer) by his side.

The exhibition, which opened December 11, has many more educative and inspirational art works, ends on December 31.