‘Scientia Sexualis’ at ICA LA

ICA LA’s exhibition, Scientia Sexualis, takes a unique approach to Getty PST’s sprawling theme “Art & Science Collide.” While the PST theme elicits a certain hopefulness within the intersection of art and science, Scientia Sexualis seems to take an opposing viewpoint: namely honing in on the ways that medicine and science have been historically harmful to bodies, particularly in the realm of women, queer, and trans sexual health and reproductive rights. 

Many works delved into ways that the medical establishment has failed to support select groups of people, causing them to take their health into their own hands. For instance, Oliver Husain and Kerston Schoedinger’s video installation approaches DNCB, a toxic chemical that people with HIV and AIDS painted on their skin in order to attempt to provoke a strong immune response. Nao Bustamante’s video cheekily teaches viewers pelvic floor exercises from inside of a cave. Other works feel expansive and hopeful, landing within a more fluid and exploratory space — Jes Fan’s captivating mixed media sculpture Form Begets Function houses hormones and melanin within globby glass forms that lounge on a wood and fiberglass frame, suggesting an adaptive and fluid body. The exhibition, organized by Jennifer Doyle and Jeanne Vaccaro, attempts to reframe the history of medicine as it relates to sex and gender through luscious and thought-provoking art objects.

Photo: Installation view, Scientia Sexualis, Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, October 5, 2024–March 2, 2025. Image: Jeff McLane/ICA LA.