David Michael Wojnarowicz (1954–1992) stands as an emblematic figure of late twentieth-century American art, whose multidisciplinary practice fused autobiography, queer identity, and fervent political activism.
I started reading it at 2:30am. I could not believe the flashes of memory kicked up by this relentless archaeology into the darkest corners of what my early impressions of NYC, the Village, Times Square had included without my actually knowing they were singular, because they were part of our life. During high school and college, AIDS was part of our lives. We didn’t have to be queer ourselves, the art community and people around us were our invitation to know and care.
At 6am I came back to it.
Seeing these images brought pause. They are supposed to. Their raw honesty of the ethos of the moment, the ‘look the other way’ glossing over by some institutions, organization, social climbers and just people themselves became fresh again.
I finally finished the piece at 10:30am. I am glad it took that long to read segments and absorb, process, reflect what life has been like for this community. I remarked to myself, “how lucky they are, how lucky are we? That Rogue has decided to honor every day of merely a month…” when the call to justice and civility demands attention all the time.
Remarkable piece. Thank you for your diligence and dedication to art and artist. History deserves its due. You give it, every day.
The fact that you started reading it in the middle of the night and kept coming back to it means everything. That’s exactly what I hoped the piece might do….stir memory, bring up what’s been buried, and allow everyone to sit with it.
Those moments and places didn’t feel “historical.” They were just life. Messy, vibrant, terrifying, beautiful life. And AIDS was a part of that, whether we were living it directly or through the people around us. Art was our invitation to care and support one another.
I think we must honor these voices every day, not just the ones marked on the calendar. That’s exactly why I'm doing this. These stories deserve time, space, and attention….because they never stopped mattering.
Fantastic.
I started reading it at 2:30am. I could not believe the flashes of memory kicked up by this relentless archaeology into the darkest corners of what my early impressions of NYC, the Village, Times Square had included without my actually knowing they were singular, because they were part of our life. During high school and college, AIDS was part of our lives. We didn’t have to be queer ourselves, the art community and people around us were our invitation to know and care.
At 6am I came back to it.
Seeing these images brought pause. They are supposed to. Their raw honesty of the ethos of the moment, the ‘look the other way’ glossing over by some institutions, organization, social climbers and just people themselves became fresh again.
I finally finished the piece at 10:30am. I am glad it took that long to read segments and absorb, process, reflect what life has been like for this community. I remarked to myself, “how lucky they are, how lucky are we? That Rogue has decided to honor every day of merely a month…” when the call to justice and civility demands attention all the time.
Remarkable piece. Thank you for your diligence and dedication to art and artist. History deserves its due. You give it, every day.
Thank you so much for this and for reading🙏🏼
The fact that you started reading it in the middle of the night and kept coming back to it means everything. That’s exactly what I hoped the piece might do….stir memory, bring up what’s been buried, and allow everyone to sit with it.
Those moments and places didn’t feel “historical.” They were just life. Messy, vibrant, terrifying, beautiful life. And AIDS was a part of that, whether we were living it directly or through the people around us. Art was our invitation to care and support one another.
I think we must honor these voices every day, not just the ones marked on the calendar. That’s exactly why I'm doing this. These stories deserve time, space, and attention….because they never stopped mattering.