ART-PRESENTATION: Screaming in the Streets AIDS, Art, Activism,Part II

Nan Goldin, The Hug, NYC (Detail), 1980, Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed, verso, Cibachrome print, 23.5 x 15.5 inches, ClampArt ArchiveAIDS first erupted in urban gay male communities that had deep roots in the gay liberation movement and in the arts. The first wave of AIDS activism fused iconic graphics and dramatic political action to demand and win an urgent response from the government and medical institutions. Artists also grappled with the grief, rage, illness, sex, fear and death that ravaged our communities, and their work shaped the perception of HIV itself ((Part I).

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: ClampArt Archive

The group exhibition “Screaming in the Streets: AIDS, Art, Activism” at ClampArt celebrates the launch of Ward 5B, a new archival and curatorial service. By 1995 at the height of the epidemic in the United States there were an estimated 48,371 annual AIDS-related deaths. The story of the artistic and activist responses to this medical crisis were marked by intergenerational, communal, as well as individual associations. The AIDS epidemic provided a startling glimpse into the strange connections between the most private of our lives and the most public. Additionally, radical spaces such as the Pyramid Club, PS 122, Danceteria, Boy Bar, s.n.a.f.u., Crisco Disco, Gaiety Theatre, The Club Baths, and other venues became contradictory under the lash of AIDS, serving not only as “safe zones” for the queer community, but also grounds where contact among individuals would propel the spread of this deadly new contagion. Amidst this unique cauldron of creativity, community, and disease sprang a generation of AIDS activists connected by art, while rooted in the historically radical politics and culture of New York City. The response to the epidemic brought about a clash of ideologies among the actors involved, both philosophical and economic, that is reflected in the artwork and ephemera of the era. There were many villains and heroes throughout the early years of the epidemic, from the criminal prejudice of the Reagan administration to the epic struggle with the creation of safe sex. The exhibition focuses on the meaning of radical spaces for sexual minorities and reflects upon a generation of lost artists, while illustrating the interconnectedness and collaborative working relationships among them. On presentation are works by:  David Wojnarowicz,  Ethyl Eichelberger, Gail Thacker, Gran Fury, Jack Smith, Jimmy DeSana, Keith Haring,  Mark Morrisroe, Nan Goldin, Peter Hujar and Tseng Kwong Chi.

Info: Curator Greg Ellis, ClampArt, 247 West 29th Street, Ground Floor, New York, Duration 3/8-23/9/17, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 10:00-18:000, https://clampart.com

Kenny Burgess, Garden of Alice, 1981, Signed, l.l., Collage, 18 x 12 inches, ClampArt Archive
Kenny Burgess, Garden of Alice, 1981, Signed, l.l., Collage, 18 x 12 inches, ClampArt Archive

 

 

Kenny Burgess, Secrets, 1981, Signed, l.l., Collage, 12 x 10 inches, ClampArt Archive
Kenny Burgess, Secrets, 1981, Signed, l.l., Collage, 12 x 10 inches, ClampArt Archive

 

 

Ken Tisa, Eichelberger Angel, Signed, l.r., Ink and watercolor on paper, ClampArt Archive
Ken Tisa, Eichelberger Angel, Signed, l.r., Ink and watercolor on paper, ClampArt Archive

 

 

Jimmy DeSana, Aluminum Foil #4 (Self-Portrait), 1985, Signed, titled, and dated, verso, Vintage Cibachrome print (Unique), 10 x 8 inches, ClampArt Archive
Jimmy DeSana, Aluminum Foil #4 (Self-Portrait), 1985, Signed, titled, and dated, verso, Vintage Cibachrome print (Unique), 10 x 8 inches, ClampArt Archive

 

 

 

Gran Fury, Let the Record Show, 1987, Off-set poster, 34 x 22 inches, ClampArt Archive
Gran Fury, Let the Record Show, 1987, Off-set poster, 34 x 22 inches, ClampArt Archive

 

 

Michael Parker, Jail Bait, c. 1991, Signed and inscribed at length on the opening page, Self-published zine, 11 x 8.5 inches, ClampArt Archive
Michael Parker, Jail Bait, c. 1991, Signed and inscribed at length on the opening page, Self-published zine, 11 x 8.5 inches, ClampArt Archive

 

 

Ethyl Eichelberger/Peter Hujar, s.n.a.f.u. (Ethyl Eichelberger as Medea), New Years Eve 1981, Inscribed and kissed by both Ethyl Eichelberger and Agosto Machado, Additionally signed by Peter Hujar, Off-set poster (Photograph by Peter Hujar), ClampArt Archive
Ethyl Eichelberger/Peter Hujar, s.n.a.f.u. (Ethyl Eichelberger as Medea), New Years Eve 1981, Inscribed and kissed by both Ethyl Eichelberger and Agosto Machado, Additionally signed by Peter Hujar, Off-set poster (Photograph by Peter Hujar), ClampArt Archive

 

 

David Emfinger, An AIDS Candlelight March, 1983, Poster (illustrated by David Emfinger), 26 x 19 inches, ClampArt Archive
David Emfinger, An AIDS Candlelight March, 1983, Poster (illustrated by David Emfinger), 26 x 19 inches, ClampArt Archive

 

 

Mark Fisher, ACT UP Memorial Flyer (Judson Memorial Church), 1992, Xerox copy, 7 x 5 inches, ClampArt Archive
Mark Fisher, ACT UP Memorial Flyer (Judson Memorial Church), 1992, Xerox copy, 7 x 5 inches, ClampArt Archive

 

 

Diamanda Galas, The Masque of the Red Death, 1990, Pamphlet from the first performance at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City, 8.5 x 5.5 inches, ClampArt Archive
Diamanda Galas, The Masque of the Red Death, 1990, Pamphlet from the first performance at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City, 8.5 x 5.5 inches, ClampArt Archive

 

 

Alan Kupperberg, AIDS Mary, 1994, As seen in The Big Book of Urban Legends (New York: Paradox Press, 1984), p. 129, 18.5 x 14.5 inches, ClampArt Archive
Alan Kupperberg, AIDS Mary, 1994, As seen in The Big Book of Urban Legends (New York: Paradox Press, 1984), p. 129, 18.5 x 14.5 inches, ClampArt Archive

 

 

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