Artists Change Perceptions of HIV in Paris Exhibit

Author: Christopher Harrity

“Although science has made great strides, discrimination against people living with HIV has largely remained. Fear and prejudice are deeply rooted in people for no good reason. However, some people with HIV also self-stigmatize and many cannot, because of public pressure, reveal their status.

“ArtPositive is an artistic project, the culmination of which will be an international exhibition by visual artists living with HIV.

“The objective of this initiative is to combat, through art, the stigma, discrimination and isolation some people still face living with the virus.

“We are HIV positive artists from different countries, and we want to say NO to HIV stigma! We want to show through our artistic creations, exhibited in a high-class art gallery, (located in the artistic epicenter of Paris, the Saint-Germain-des-Prés quartier), that we are people and artists like all the others in the world.

“The virus in the blood is apparently easier to eliminate than stigma in the mind.

“We want people to know that everyone has the same rights, duties, and opportunities whether you live with or without HIV.

“The ArtPositive exhibition will take place from September 7th to September 25th, 2021, in the Marie de Holmsky Gallery, 80 rue Bonaparte, Paris 6th.”

—Boré Ivanoff

For more information:

artpositivehivexpo.wordpress.com
facebook.com/Artpostiveexhibition

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Christopher Harrity