PrEPtaca Exhibition – The Goddess of Health and Wisdom
An exhibition by Nicolas Bernal
PULSExhibiton by PULSE Clinic & PULSE Gallery
PREPTACA
Preptaca was born as a goddess sculpture inspired by pre-colonial- ist art in South America. Its name comes from the
combination of "Huitaca" and Prep medicine.
Huitaca is the goddess of arts, dance and music, witchcraft, sexual liberation, and the Moon for the Muisca indigenous group in the Andes region. PREP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a medicine that reduces your chances of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use.
Preptaca aims to look at sexual health as something to
cherish and understand that sexual health should have been on our minds from the earliest of times.
Prep, as the only medicine we can take as a prevention for HIV, becomes a symbol of hope, and in my
opinion, something that should be easy access to everyone in need. As a South American Pansexual man living in Thailand, I have been blessed with the chance to demystify sexual health controls and appreciate how advanced Thai society is regarding this topic, compared to my home country Colombia.
The PREPTACA project has evolved a lot since it was conceived. The goddess PREPTACA has become a counselor of love, sexuality, and sexual health. PREPTACA’s belly has found different ways to help people, projecting messages, images, and different types of medications regarding sexual health.
PrEPtaca does not judge, she only helps in the name of responsible pleasure.
Artistic Statement
Puppetry is my passion. I think that when I am doing it, I can connect with my inner child, it gives me peace of mind, and at the same time, I feel like a magician. My work is driven by passion, I try to connect as much as I can with my creations. I want to give them a soul of their own and I also want them to be able to connect with others, share a story, and the possibility to be seen from other perspectives.
Biography
Nicolas Bernal was born in Bogota, Colombia. He studied industrial design in Bogota, and ever since, his main focus has being around toy design and puppetry. His interest in this matter is because in puppetry, a lot of different mediums need to be considered, such as the construction of the puppets, stage, music, concept and the magic of a theatrical piece. Through his artistic path, he has explored talking about political and social issues, as well as using this art form for education purposes, creating not only shows, but experiences. He holds a master in Education, in which he used puppetry as an opportunity to inspire and develop a culture of peace. Nicolas has participated in different workshops and puppet festivals around the world, sharing his art work in England, France, Czech Republic, Taiwan and Thailand.
Locations
สาขาเพลินจิต (Flagship)
PULSE Gallery - Phloen Chit (BTS Phloenchit station)
PULSE Gallery - Phloen Chit (BTS Phloenchit station)