I recently visited the exhibition at the Visual Arts Center on campus called Alternative Medicine: Healing Remedies for Harmful Times. Upon walking into the gallery you come across a description of the exhibit. The first line of this description states “When was the last time you took an aspirin? A sleep aid? A vitamin or supplement? For many of us, pills are so routine they barely register.” This creates an immediate personal connection between the viewer and the art. I thought of the vitamins I take every morning, the Advil I take before, during, and after every soccer and frisbee tournament I play in, and the melatonin I often rely on to fall asleep. Many of these I take without thought. Herein lies the first goal of the artist: to allow the viewer to reflect on how common pharmaceuticals have become in modern society. After the viewer has considered their personal relationship with the exhibit, they are invited to consider how the artists “reveal power, value, and exclusion” through their pieces. These two goals of the exhibit work in tandem to create a thought-provoking experience for the viewer.

  There are art pieces that explore themes of queerness, sexism, and power imbalances, but the piece that really piqued my interest explored injustice in HIV/AIDS care. Beacon III, which delves into issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS crisis, was created by Frank Moore, a man who was diagnosed with the disease in 1987. The painting has a man stranded in the ocean, staying afloat on a hospital bed. He is suspended between a lighthouse, which has a beam shaped like a DNA structure symbolizing hope for the future in scientific advancements, and sea creatures holding pills and syringes. The IV attached to his arm is sinking into the water, showing how, in 1987, this scientific advancement was nothing but a promise. In reality, the main treatment for HIV in that time period was an expensive, toxic drug called AZT. The piece succesfully outlines the artist’s goals because it signifies the exclusionary access to HIV care, and how not enough value has been placed historically in solving the issue. Seeing as HIV is a disease that disproportionately impacts the queer community, the artist is highlighting historical injustices that plague a minority of the population.  

The other piece that was really impactful for me was Jean Shin’s, Chemical Balance V, because of how much it connects to my life. I use over-the-counter medications constantly as I often have injuries from the sports I participate in, and use medications to help with my insomnia. In this piece, a tower of thousands of medication bottles looms over you in an intimidating manner. It implores the viewer to imagine what their individual tower of empty prescription bottles would look like, creating a unique connection between the art and the person. Then, the viewer imagines what this tower would look like if everyone’s empty prescription bottles were formed into one amalgamation, creating an overwhelming anxiety surrounding our society’s dependency on prescription drugs and medications. 

I think my perspective has benefits and flaws in understanding the exhibit. I do not often visit art exhibits, so trying to unpack the messaging was a new experience for me, and I am sure there are many underlying themes that went over my head. However, given my personal relationship with prescription drugs, I think some of the anxieties the artist was attempting to highlight were easy to comprehend for me.