ArtMoves

Better described as a moving event or “happening” than an exhibition, ArtMoves is a fully portable, arts-based AIDS intervention conveyed and displayed on retrofitted auto-rickshaws or other local conveyances. First created in 2007, in the leadup to the MAKE ART/STOP AIDS exhibition at the UCLA Fowler Museum, the portable concept offers a window into the work of artists confronting AIDS worldwide, representing India, Brazil, South Africa, and the United States. Each nation exemplifies a distinct set of socio-cultural conditions and artistic responses to the epidemic. Thus, ArtMoves places special emphasis on international dialogue, emphasizing such issues as treatment inequality and the importance of appropriate governmental response. The idea for ArtMoves emanated directly from curator Parthiv Shah of the Centre for Media and Alternative Communication in New Delhi, India. The UCLA Art & Global Health Center was organizing a museum exhibition to educate and raise awareness about issues related to HIV/AIDS. It was realized, however, that in most Indian locations museum exhibits are less than ideal, on account of their high cost and exclusivity. A cheaper, more accessible alternative was necessary. A workshop of artists and activists in New Delhi, supported by UNESCO, led to the idea of a portable exhibition to be delivered on streets and in villages, and made accessible to the wider public regardless of social class or literacy. The idea was not to limit the exhibition to a handful of gallery visitors, but to give it wheels, quite literally. ArtMoves made a successful debut on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2007, in New Delhi.