AIDS in ART

I believe that these posters, created by a small group of homosexuals and scattered around New York City in the 1980s, align perfectly with Douglas Crimp’s call for “cultural activism.” I agree with Crimp when he suggests that art “does have the power to save lives, and it is this very power that must be recognized, fostered, and supported in every way possible” (Kocur and Leung 144). How can this austere poster call for cultural activism and have the ability to save lives? In my opinion, the mere use of a poster is a call for action. Instead of placing the piece in a museum or even on a billboard that only some would see, the creators chose to print multiple copies of their work. Millions of people were in contact with them and affected by them. Also, the use of the universal sign of homosexuality, the pink triangle, was easily recognized by people of all ethnicities, genders, and economic backgrounds. Despite all of their differences, homosexual people across the world felt empowered to fight the epidemic (Kocur and Leung 144).

Aside from the technical aspects of the poster, I consider the various meanings of the phrase, itself, a blatant call for cultural activism. In one interpretation, SILENCE=DEATH encourages people to tell their partners if they are suffering from AIDS. Knowledge and communication are the easiest ways to save a partner’s life. I also believe that the poster refers to the government’s lack of interest in the epidemic. The longer politicians and doctors ignored the problem, the more deaths occurred. Crimp states that “scientific research, healthcare, and education are the responsibility and purpose of government and not of so-called private initiative, an ideological term that excuses and perpetuates the state’s irresponsibility” (Kocur and Leung 143). Lastly, the motto encourages AIDS sufferers to not feel ashamed, speak up, and join together. Crimp strongly supported collaborative efforts, as well, as a way to gain recognition, and he believed that more could be accomplished if everyone banded together for a similar goal, the end of the AIDS epidemic (Kocur and Leung 146).

Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. 1st ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2005. 144-146. Print.