ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Returns to Scotland for First Full Display at Tramway

exhibition · 2026-09-02

For the first time in the UK, the entire UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be showcased at Tramway in Glasgow from September 12 to October 4. This exhibition comes after the passing of its founder, Ally Van Tillo, on August 30. Van Tillo initiated the UK version in 1989, following Cleve Jones's introduction of the US AIDS Quilt in 1985. After being kept in storage for almost twenty years, the quilt was last displayed at Tate Modern. Originally unveiled in London's Hyde Park in 1994, it comprises 335 panels that honor over 600 individuals lost to HIV/AIDS. Each panel, typically measuring three by six feet, contains personal tributes and keepsakes. Van Tillo regarded the quilt as a tool for remembrance and education.

Key facts

  • The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt opens at Tramway in Glasgow on Saturday, September 12 and runs through October 4
  • It is the first time the quilt will be exhibited in its entirety in its home country
  • Founder Ally Van Tillo died on August 30, two weeks before the opening
  • Van Tillo started the UK edition in 1989, four years after Cleve Jones began the US AIDS Quilt in San Francisco in 1985
  • The quilt spent nearly two decades in storage before being shown at Tate Modern's Turbine Hall last year
  • It was first displayed at London's Hyde Park in 1994 and has grown to 335 panels representing over 600 people
  • Panels are primarily three by six feet, the dimensions of a typical grave plot
  • The Tramway display includes archival material detailing the quilt's Scottish origins

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Tramway
  • Tate Modern
  • UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Partnership
  • Hyperallergic
  • Vice
  • BBC
  • NAMES Project
  • Waverley Care
  • American Names Project Memorial Quilt
  • UK AIDS Memorial Quilt
  • NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt

Locations

  • Scotland
  • Glasgow
  • San Francisco
  • United States
  • London
  • Hyde Park
  • United Kingdom
  • Edinburgh
  • USA

Sources

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