Anne Martens

I work as a writer for a Los Angeles museum and also as a freelance art critic. I am also an artist.

In my most recent project, Club Med, I explore connections between medicine and the body using the hospital gown as visual and conceptual metaphor. Club Med consists of hospital gowns modified to suggest the female form and designed to communicate sexuality. As objects with potential meanings, I consider them individually as sculptures and collectively as installations. They are also worn in performances for the camera.

The design of a standard hospital gown is shapeless in order to fit many body types. It is open from the back for quick and easy access. In this impersonal garment typically worn for examinations and procedures, the patient becomes an object of scrutiny, observation and vulnerability. Ironically, the modest coverage afforded by the hospital gown offers a sense of privacy and protection from other types of looking. The metaphorical dualities implicit in the design of a hospital gown are emphasized through absurd alterations like darts and cut-outs, or over-the-top materials like sequins, ruffles, and sheer fabrics.

My intention with Club Med is to provoke thoughts about health, mortality and inequality through the seemingly banal lens of couture fashion; a playful approach meant to engage the viewer.

-Anne Martens