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October 27, 2009
Art Imitates Life
by Willette Francis
The Art & AIDS: Living for the Moment exhibition portrays the humanity and spirit of artists living with the virus.
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| "Andy-Seated" by George Towne
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Premier New York AIDS service organization Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC)—in partnership with the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation—presents Art & AIDS: Living for the Moment, an exhibition that features 50 established and emerging HIV-positive artists, all of whom are GMHC clients.
The exhibition opens 6 P.M., November 3, at Leslie/Lohman (26 Wooster Street in Manhattan) and will run through November 7. Several artworks will be donated for a silent auction to benefit GMHC, and 100 percent of the proceeds from artwork sold during the exhibit will go directly to the artists.
In anticipation of the show’s opening, curators David Livingston and Osvaldo Perdomo, along with Jeff Rindler, director of The Volunteer, Work and Wellness Center at GMHC, shared with POZ their inspiration for putting together this year’s Art & AIDS exhibition.
How long has GMHC been holding Art & AIDS exhibitions?
Jeff Rindler: This is about the eighth year. The first exhibition started in-house and lasted four hours. It was in one of our training rooms, so it had to be taken down.
Through the commitment of the artists and the volunteers, it has grown yearly. Three or four years ago, we had our first exhibit outside of GMHC at the New School, and then we showed at the Ryan/Chelsea-Clinton Community Center in New York City. This year, Osvaldo and David, through their work and relationships with [Leslie/Lohman], are exhibiting at one of the premier galleries of gay art.
What inspired you to put together the exhibition?
David Livingston: As a GMHC art teacher, I’ve come across many great artists who need places to show their work. For those living with HIV, there is a greater need. Often, their artwork is very therapeutic, and some people have grown by coming to our classes. It’s all about the wellness of the spirit, which helps people feel better and live longer lives.
Osvaldo Perdomo: I’ve been a part of this exhibition for four or five years, as an artist and as a person living with HIV/AIDS. It gives me an opportunity to express myself through my art, and I am able to share how I’ve felt through the years. Through the art show, David and I have given artists the opportunity to do the same. This year, we are covering spirituality, sensuality and sexuality from 50 artists’ points of view.
DL: The three concepts of sensuality, sexuality and spirituality motivate people to find strength.
How did you select the artwork for the show?
DL: We make the selections based on theme—the strongest works. And it has to be unifying. Space is also taken into consideration.
How did you decide on a theme for the exhibition?
OP: We originally thought about “living in the moment,” and then Jeff suggested “living for the moment,” which gives the statement more movement. As an HIV-positive artist, I can tell you that I live for the moment. This is what I have today, and the past is history. The future isn’t now, and this is what is. I think we all felt this title fit our community living with HIV/AIDS.
DL: Immediacy…the fact that living for the moment makes people stop and think.
Are all of the artists from New York?
OP: The artists are all clients from GMHC, who come from different parts of the country and the world.
JR: There was someone living with HIV who really wanted to be a part of this show. He became a client so he could be a part of the show, which for GMHC is great. It allows him to participate in the show but also have an opportunity to utilize our other services.
What would you like people to learn when they visit the exhibition?
DL: [I want them] to see a different perspective of how people with the virus see the world, and how it may not be so different than you and I. People will also be surprised to see everything from anger to joy. [The artists] are all at different points in their lives.
JR: Part of GMHC’s mission is to uplift the lives of all those affected. This show and the work the curators, who are also artists, have done are really uplifting. When clients have their artwork shown at a gallery with the stature of Leslie/Lohman, they’re lifted. And these type of shows join in the battle against stigma, homophobia and AIDS phobia. It is an opportunity to showcase great work and that people are living, thriving, growing and prospering with HIV/AIDS.
For more info on Art & AIDS: Living for the Moment, click here.
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