Melrose Place: A Canvas for Subversive Art

In the 1990s, an art collective called Gala inserted subversive art into the popular TV show Melrose Place. The group, led by artist Mel Chin, collaborated with the show's set designer, Deborah Siegel Casatino, to create art pieces that conveyed hidden messages. They included bed sheets with the pattern of unrolled condoms, Chinese takeout boxes with symbols representing human rights and stolen artifacts, and paintings depicting tragic historical events. The art was meant to subtly challenge societal norms and provoke viewers to think more deeply about the world around them. The project, while largely unnoticed by viewers at the time, was an innovative and experimental approach to using television as a platform for subversive public art.