ACT UP Protest at David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night

The David Wojnarowicz retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art was recently protested because of its lack of completeness. I’m not talking about the works themselves, but the information. Wojnarowicz was a queer artist who was diagnosed as HIV-positive. As an advocate for those with the disease, his work speaks on issues of the AIDS crisis. Members of ACT UP, an advocacy group working to positively influence the lives of people with AIDS, took issue with the exhibit and its lack of acknowledgment that the AIDS crisis is ongoing. The protestors stood in front of Wojnarowicz’s works with framed recent new articles about the HIV/AIDS epidemic showing that is was not in fact a historical topic. In the one hour the protestors stood there they were able to facilitate small discussions surrounding the topic. They took time to inform the public about the crisis without assuming they were already educated. The protestors were able to connect the artist’s work to present issues and advocate for a more accessible view of an ongoing issue.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *