Redefining 'AIDS art': From historical canon to contemporary critique
In the Summer 2016 issue of ArtReview, the article explores the shifting interpretations of 'AIDS art' in light of recent exhibitions and activism. It highlights Hillary Clinton's controversial 2016 statement regarding the Reagans sparking a 'national conversation' about HIV/AIDS. Since 2009, significant exhibitions such as 'ACT UP New York' (2009), 'Why We Fight' (2013), and Helen Molesworth's 'This Will Have Been' (2012–13) have revisited cultural reactions to the crisis, emphasizing NYC's queer art community. The 'Art AIDS America' exhibition (2016) encountered protests concerning racial representation, prompting changes at the Zuckerman Museum. The article posits that 'AIDS art' is characterized by a critical sensibility, citing Douglas Crimp's 1987 October issue as a key reference.
Key facts
- Hillary Clinton claimed the Reagans started a national conversation about HIV/AIDS in March 2016, then apologized after backlash.
- Ronald Reagan did not say the word 'AIDS' in public until 1985, after over 10,000 Americans had died.
- Exhibitions since 2009 have revisited cultural practices from the HIV/AIDS crisis, including 'ACT UP New York' (2009) at Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts.
- 'Why We Fight: Remembering AIDS Activism' (2013) was held at the New York Public Library.
- Helen Molesworth's 'This Will Have Been' (2012–13) was at MCA Chicago and ICA Boston.
- New Museum's 'NYC 1993' (2013) addressed HIV/AIDS in a broader historical survey.
- Most exhibitions focus on New York City's downtown queer art scene from mid-1980s to early 1990s.
- Keith Haring, David Wojnarowicz, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres are frequently featured in such shows.
- 'Art AIDS America' opened at Tacoma Art Museum and then at the Bronx Museum in July 2016.
- Curators Jonathan David Katz and Rock Hushka included younger artists like Kia Labeija and Derek Jackson.
- Only four of 92 artists in 'Art AIDS America' were African American; protests ensued.
- African Americans account for 44 percent of new HIV infections each year.
- Zuckerman Museum of Art added eight artists, new wall texts, and a subexhibition 'Art AIDS Atlanta'.
- Vincent Chevalier and Ian Bradley-Perrin's 'Your Nostalgia Is Killing Me' (2013) critiques activist aesthetics online.
- Douglas Crimp edited the October issue 'AIDS: Cultural Analysis, Cultural Activism' in 1987.
Entities
Artists
- Keith Haring
- David Wojnarowicz
- Felix Gonzalez-Torres
- Kia Labeija
- Derek Jackson
- Ron Athey
- Andres Serrano
- Vincent Chevalier
- Ian Bradley-Perrin
- Jonathan David Katz
- Rock Hushka
- Helen Molesworth
- Douglas Crimp
- Hillary Clinton
- Ronald Reagan
Institutions
- Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
- New York Public Library
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- Institute for Contemporary Art Boston
- New Museum
- Tacoma Art Museum
- Bronx Museum
- Zuckerman Museum of Art
- ArtReview
- AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP)
Locations
- New York City
- Cambridge, MA
- Chicago
- Boston
- Tacoma
- Bronx
- Kennesaw, GA
- Atlanta
- United States