The 90s are back!!! At least, that’s what everyone says, and about 80% of this blog is devoted to that assertion. Of course, most people generally mean stuff like grunge fashion, bands, riot grrrl and copious usage of Revlon’s “Coffee Bean” lipcolor. But it’s actually super-interesting now, I think, to re-examine the cultural impact of a lot of the activism of the decade, including the AIDS activism that flourished at the time. NYU’s “Gran Fury: Read My Lips” is going up tomorrow, a perfect art afternoon for anyone with an interest in visual culture, politics and yep, the 90s.
Gran Fury was a major part of the AIDS awareness movement, especially as the “propaganda” wing of legendary activist group ACT UP. A collective of artists, filmmakers and other visual types — including my former prof and mentor, director Tom Kalin! Shout out to Tom! — they first got famous for their incendiary, subversive posters, using the strategies of mass media and advertising to spread a message of tolerance, knowledge and anti-bigotry, all in an attempt to demystify and derail the prejudice and ignorance surrounding AIDS and HIV that came out of the 80s. Their work wasn’t obtuse or complicated, but still managed to touch upon the complexities of issues without flattening them. They, along with efforts of other major AIDS activist organizations, turned what many initially regarded as a marginal health concern into a major political issue that intersected queer and gay rights, public health, corporate greed, political indifference, sexuality and other taboos. It made AIDS an issue for everyone and took down a lot of homophobia at the same time.
Seeing their stuff now, the cheekiness, wit and stylishness of their work remains striking, and they managed to combine a provocative, even scathing level of observation with a clear, unambiguous urgency that many political campaigns fail to harness these days. (I keep thinking of those really confused “I am African” adverts from a few years ago. Problematic, no?) It’s worth examining the political legacy of activist groups in the 90s now, especially in light of what’s happening with the Occupy movement. I suspect there’s something about the wit, intelligence and simplicity of Gran Fury’s approach that it could crib a few notes from. It’s a great thought experiment to imagine what the collective would do now in the age of Tumblr, Twitter and other viral social media mechanisms.
Anyway, the show is up at NYU’s 80WSE Galleries from January 31 (the opening is tomorrow from 6-8pm!) to March 17, 2012. I wish that I could say Gran Fury’s message isn’t needed anymore and HIV is a relic of the past, but it’s not. HIV still ravages the Global South (especially in Asia and Africa), medicines to help manage the condition are still expensive, and sadly, complacency has set in for a new generation in the developed world: people under 30 face the greatest risk of infection now. From 2006 to 2009, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the HIV incidence rate for Americans between 13 and 29 years old increased by about 21%. Most of the new HIV infections reported in America now involve people under 30. Also, if rates of infections keep at their current levels worldwide, women infected with HIV may soon outnumber men with HIV, a huge shift historically. The message is still relevant, dudes: SAFER SEX SAVES LIVES!
