Sidaction and The Good Company have published the first inclusive Kamasutra, the Kamasutra+, to represent a diversity of sexual orientations and identities. 69 positions have been revisited and illustrated by French and international artists, all members or allies of the LGBT+ cause. The limited edition unique artistic work was created to raise HIV/AIDS awareness. Sidaction is working works to put an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and is the only AIDS association that supports scientific research in France.
The Kamasutra is arguably the most famous and widely-distributed book in the world, and yet it has rarely ventured beyond a heteronormative representation of sexuality. Sidaction – in collaboration with the agency The Good Company and Kiblind Editions – wanted to reinvent the original Kamasutra by including, for the first time, all identities and sexualities…all while reminding readers of the numerous ways to protect themselves against HIV. 69 of the most famous Kamasutra positions are revisited through illustrations that demonstrate all of the various means of HIV protection, such as PReP or condoms. The content of the illustrations are organised around two themes: how to protect oneself and how to get HIV/AIDS support.
“The Kamasutra+ is an artistic, poetic and useful work that shows that true pleasure is enjoying one’s different identities, being at ease with oneself and therefore with others. This is the key to good sexual health and a powerful lever in the fight against HIV,” explained Florence Thune, executive director of Sidaction.
French singer, Eddy de Pretto, famous for powerful songs such as Kid and Fête de trop, wrote the book’s preface. In it, he writes of “the necessity, the urgency and the impact of a work like this one”. Readers will also be able to find literary contributions from writers Amandine Dhée, Patrick Autréaux and Mathieu Bermann.
“With Sidaction, we are committed to celebrating all types of love. We believe that there are an infinite number of ways to love, as beautiful as they are sincere. It’s this joyful diversity that we wanted to illustrate with the help of 67 French and foreign artists,” noted Philippe Pioli-Lesevre, creative director for the project.
The book will be sold for 30,69€. All profits go to Sidaction and will be used to finance medical and scientific research programs, as well as to support organisations working on HIV/AIDS prevention and assistance.
Read the Karmasutra+ online here (The text is written in French but the book mainly includes illustrations)
Credits:
Brand: Sidaction
Brand Management: Alexandre Jalbert, Bérénice Pierson
Public Relations: Aurélie Defretin
Agency: The Good Company
Creative Directors: Fabien Gailleul, Hadi Hassan-Helou, Philippe Pioli-Lesesvre
Art Director: Eva Huguet
Copywriter: Joëlle Elhajj
Strategic Planning: Lisa Gache
Account Manager: Lisa Buisson, Adel Heddadi
Agency Management: Jeanne Neuschwander, Julien Quidor dit Pasquet, Luc Wise
PR: Pauline Germain, Victoire Fouquet-Lapar
Art Director: Kiblind Agence
Publisher: Kiblind Éditions
