I have continued my experiments in alternative process photography with trying lumen printing. This is a very similar process to cyanotype in that you place objects over the surface and expose it to sunlight before setting the image. The difference with lumen prints is you use photographic paper, used in pinhole photography and other darkroom processes, then the image is either scanned or left to fade or fixed with fixing liquid. I scanned my images before fixing, then fixed them. Before and after fixing the prints look incredibly different.
My lumen prints were created with coloured flavoured condoms, of which the colours can be seen subtly in the images.
I also used bottles lancets and a swap from an STD self testing kit in the above image.
In the above I have included the vintage porn negatives used in my Cyanotypes.
The above images are the lumen prints after being developed which turn out a lot darker. I’m not sure if this is just how they turn out or if I’ve done something wrong.
May the 8th marks 100 years since the birth of artist Touko Valio Laaksonen, commonly known as Tom of Finland. I’ve seen posts from artists and fans across social media in celebration of this date and the legacy left by this iconic artist and was inspired to create my own homage. He grew up in Finland admiring the labourers in the rural area, before moving to the city to pursue a career in advertising. This drew his attention to the men of the city, construction workers, businessmen, police. In 1956 he submitted his work his work to the American magazine – physique pictorial. He submitted this under the name Tom, to be easier to pronounce for Americans, leading to the alias Tom of Finland. Following this the demand for his homoerotic drawings grew until in 1973, he was able to quit his day job to commit to drawing. He had his first exhibition in 1976, in which every piece except one was stolen. He didn’t exhibit again until 1978 in Los Angeles, for which he made his first visit to the US. He would continue making frequent trips to America until he became ill with emphysema. During his illness he started drawing with the medium of preference of his youth – pastels, due to the tremors caused by his illness and medication. He eventually passed away in Finland in 1991.
Tom of Finland’s art work was a source of representation for gay men during a time of which there was little. His art work evokes the iconic image of a hyper masculine gay man, this speaks to many people up until this day and creates a dialogue of gay identity, desire and aesthetics. The cultural impact of his work is massive, making it incredibly relevant to my current practice in which I am examining gay history, culture, pornography and the AIDS crisis. I am very interested in the role that erotic media plays in the culture and identity of gay mine from a historical perspective and how history influences gay fetish today. This is reminiscent of my research into hauntology and the writing of Josè Esteban Munoz on the hauntology of public sex.
For the what would have been 100th birthday of Tom of Finland the Tom of Finland foundation have created a hashtag on social media for people to share posts in tribute to him, some of which have been artistic contributions, inspiring me to create the cyanotype above. Following on from my work so far mixing found pornographic imagery and condoms in cyanotype, it felt appropriate to create an homage to the legacy of Tom of Finland. I wanted a large central image of a piece of his work that to me encapsulated his career and had a classic gay aesthetic, I chose an image of two leather clad men embracing due to the prevalence of leather fetishism in the gay community, also due to the strong contrast, simple lines, blocks of black and white with minimal grey half tones making it ideal for using in cyanotype without altering the image which I wanted to avoid in order to maintain the integrity of the image.
In my cyanotype I created a composition of a selection of vintage gay porn negatives printed on acetate for my hanky code serie, the overlapping of images from piece to piece and the focus on cyanotype unites the different areas of history and culture that I am wanting to explore, interrogate and portray. I then layered a mixture of coloured and clear condoms around the images, which I also use in my other cyanotype pieces. I also added a disposable transparent glove. Below is an image of the cyanotype developing and the composition before exposing and fixing the image.
Below are photographs of detail in the composition as due to the size of the piece, full size photographs don’t show the details clearly. Due to the the way the piece has dried after being coated with the UV reactive solution there are beam like marks on, ideally I would be able to dry the coated calico flat in a dark room which is not possible in my space constraints. In this piece I feel that they add to the composition and I’m happy the the outcome but in others it has detracted from what I wanted to be the focus. Part of the appeal of Cyanotypes and alternative process photography for me is the unpredictable nature of it but this can also be frustrating when the exposed and set pieces lack the clarity I was aiming for.
This is a self Portrait by Parma Ham, I spoke to them about their contribution and this is what they said.
“Tom led the way in defying censorship during a time of rampant homophobic prejudice and prudishness. In depicting gay men as strong, and beautiful though masculine, Tom gave gay men hope, and pushed back against the rife internalised sexual guilt that we unfortunately still see amongst gay men today.
We are lucky to have his foundation continuing his legacy by promoting fetish and queer artists that continue to agitate the world. In 2019 the foundation hosted part two of the Community Guidelines exhibition that I first curated at Lethal Amounts gallery in Los Angeles, the show bought together 17 artists particularly persecuted by online censorship, and showed that queer artists are particularly vulnerable to censorship as their work narrates experiences owed to the body, sexuality, bullying and other sensitive subjects that are forbidden from discussing online.”
I’m very interested in the history within the LGBTQ community to use visual signals and codes along with coded language such as the dialect Polari, this started during the 1700s and 1800s, used by traveler communities, sailors, performers. With many words coming from language used by Romany people. This was used by gay men in the 1950s and 60s in order to be able to speak openly without the risk of being overheard and facing negative consequences.
I feel the codes and languages used show a strong sense of community and innovation, as well as being a sad necessity. It illustrates the lengths people had to go to in order to avoid suspicion or being arrested and communicate openly.
The Hanky Code
The hanky code was used to signify to other gay men what you were looking for while cruising without drawing unwanted attention to yourself during a time where is was either illegal or if not dangerous to be caught out. Below are charts of the hanky code, this was never an official and agreed on code so it can vary on region, time period and cultures. In parts it is incredibly niche, so I will be only making work on some colours that are more widespread.
The art collective Die Kranken created a series of handkerchiefs proposing a new hanky code. These were exhibited in an exhibition titled ” The New Rules of Flagging”. These represent newer sections of the community the collective wanted to represent.
Felix D’Eon is an illustrator who’s work focuses on gay content and culture, a lot of his pieces are erotic pin up style art, it often displays aspects of classic gay imagery such as leather, fetish wear and featured below, the hanky code.
Hal Fischer
Hal Fischer created this photo series of Gay Semiotics, exhibited in 1977. It combined photographs of gay men with accompanying text explaining the signals and meanings behind the clothing or poses as well as archetypes.
For my final major project my original plan was to exhibit my work in a public exhibition, due to me not wanting my work to be just made to hand in, given the political nature. I wanted the exhibition of my work to be a key part of the project. I had planned to work alongside other artists an also exhibit work by others responding to the loose theme of The Cultural Mark of the AIDS crisis. I had started to research local galleries that would be suitable for this and looking into the funding available through the college for community based projects. Due to the COVID19 virus this idea is no longer possible so i have been considering alternatives.
Alternatives I have considered are:
Zine
I am considering putting out a submission call for submissions in any form, writing, images, essays, poetry, basically anything that could be printed in the format of a paper zine. I would then put together this zine with the submissions and distribute it. Possibly selling with any profit being split between contributors and donating to relevant charities such as the Terrence Higgins Trust
Web page
The web page would be a very similar concept to the zine, i would ask for submissions and they would be published on the web page. This would allow a broader range of submissions such as video and musical contributions. The web page would also display the zine submissions.
Ideal Scenario
Ideally i would like to be able to create an installation of my work from this project in a relevant space, such as a public bathroom or Sauna, due to the history of gay sex culture and how much this has declined due to the AIDS crisis. In Bristol there used to be a gallery space in what was once a public toilet which i saw a number of exhibitions at. This is no longer in use as a gallery so would not be possible. I was only able to find one other public bathroom gallery within the UK, The Bower which is in what was once a public bathroom in Brunswick Park.
This is the Edwardian cloakroom gallery which used to exist in Bristol but closed a few years ago.
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome and while they are both caused by the virus aren’t the same disease. During the 1980’s and 90’s most people living with HIV would eventually succumb to AIDS, but due to the advancement of treatment this is no longer the case and most people who are HIV positive will live a normal life span. https://www.tht.org.uk/hiv-and-sexual-health/about-hiv
The HIV virus is spread through blood, semen, vaginal fluid, anal mucus and breast milk, and cannot be passed through saliva, sneezing and coughing or as many myths during the crisis lead people to believe, things like toilet seats or door knobs. The virus can’t survive for long outside the human body. https://www.tht.org.uk/hiv-and-sexual-health/about-hiv/how-hiv-transmitted
The disease disproportionately affects men who have sex with men and black African people but not exclusively, 51% of people diagnosed with hiv in 2018 were MSM, 41% of the heterosexual population diagnosed were black African men and women. Only 2% of diagnoses were IV drug users. https://www.tht.org.uk/hiv-and-sexual-health/about-hiv/hiv-statistics
Pre exposure prophylaxis and post exposure prophylaxis are drugs that stop the HIV virus from infecting your body, one is a daily pill taken and the other is a month long course of medication taken after the instance. These drug only protect against hiv
If someone is HIV positive they will be treated with anti retroviral treatment (ART) which is so effective that people can now no longer pass on HIV if the treatment is working and taken as directed, HIV people have recently been able to give birth without passing on the virus to their child. Most people will have an undetectable viral load after 6 months of treatment. People with an undetectable viral load can not pass on the virus. There is currently no cure but advances in medicine have turned it from a death sentence to a manageable health condition. A lot of the medical successes are due in part to the activism that fought for treatments to be released and for the government to take the issue seriously.
Bill Kirby, sharing a moment with Peta, who cared for his son while he was dying, on their own deathbed. Peta, a volunteer at the hospice caring for David Kirby
Photographs taken of David Kirby and his family while he was in a hospice for people dying of AIDS related illnesses. These photos show a huge amount of emotion and grief, along with care and community which I feel are emotions shown throughout art reflecting on the AIDS crisis.
The AIDS quilt was a project with the purpose of remembrance of those who died. the idea was conceived by gay activist Cleve Jones. It comprised of panels made by people who were remembering someone they lost to the disease. There are more than 46000 3 by 6 foot panels, with the panel size representing the average size of a grave. The purpose was to show the people behind the statistics.
Speech given on a display of the quilt, a summary of the journey taken during the making of the quilt.
Today we have borne in our arms and on our shoulders a new monument to our nation’s capital. It is not made of granite or steel and was not built by stonecutters and engineers. Our monument is sewn of fabric and thread, and was created in homes across America and wherever friends and families gathered to remember their loved ones lost to AIDS.
We bring a quilt. We bring it here today with shocked sorrow at its vastness and the speed with which its acreage redoubles. We bring it to this place at this time accompanied by our deepest hope: that the leaders of our country will see the evidence of our labor and our love and that they will be moved.
We bring a quilt. We have carried this quilt to every part of our country and we have seen that the American people know how to defeat AIDS.
In the past 15 months, AIDS has killed over 20,000 Americans. Fifteen months from now, our country’s new president will deliver his second State of the Union address. On that day America will have lost more sons and daughters to AIDS than we lost fighting in Southeast Asia — those whose names we can read today from a polished black stone wall.
We bring a quilt. It grows day by day and night by night and yet its expanse does not begin to cover our grief nor does its weight outweigh the heaviness within our hearts.
The American people are ready and able to defeat AIDS. We know how it can be done and we know the people who can do it. It will require a lot of money and hard work. It will require national leadership. And it will require us to understand as a nation that there is no conflict between the compassionate response and the scientific response, no conflict between love and logic.
We bring a quilt. We hope it will help people to remember. We hope it will teach our leaders to act.
Daniel Goldstein is a hiv positive artist making work around his experiences of living with the disease and the loss of friends and partners to it. Above is his sculpture “ medicine man” made from empty bottles of medicine used for the treatment of hiv. Forming the shape of a body, holding a space for those the artist lost.
Below are Daniel Goldstein’s works “Icarian Series: Reliquaries” are leather collected from a gay gym the artist frequented. The imprint of use by many bodies leaving sweat and oil on the leather has left a patina on the leather. This feels very relevant to my project due to how I’m looking at the hauntology of the AIDS crisis and the effects still felt by affected groups today. The gym was a centre of community for men during the crisis and men who were living with HIV and AIDS would use the gym to regain some control over their body. It looks incredibly like the Turin shroud. I have noticed many parallels with art reflecting on the AIDS crisis and spiritual and Christian imagery which is in many ways ironic due to the homophonic views spread by member of the church during the crisis and the condemnation of condoms.
I am Looking at the aids crisis and seeking to memorialise the victims and reduce stigma of hiv, possibly looking into my own experiences as a gay man in a world where it’s no longer a death sentence and my relationship with paranoia, sexuality and testing for hiv. Making sure to keep in mind that I am not hiv positive and shouldn’t talk over those who are and make sure to respectfully portray this without exploiting or sensationalism.
I’m interested in the shadow that it has left on the community and often wonder what it may be like today if the aids crisis hadn’t occurred. I feel there is a definite lack of elder role models due to it and the trauma of living through it gets passed down.
Albert J Winn
Albert J Winn is a photographer who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1990, he documented his experiences during his treatment to challenge the representation of the disease.
I went to see the Kieth haring exhibition at the Tate Liverpool in august 2019, this had a huge selection of his work, much of it covering the AIDS crisis. I was struck by how his work still felt relevant to my life as a gay man in 2019, in a world where the AIDS crisis is seen as an issue of the past. To me Kieth Harding’s works exploring it don’t feel like historical relics of a time gone by. They feel like an important marker of a time in history that reflects in our lives today, albeit on a different scale and things have come along way since the time he was working in the 80s and until his death in 1990, 6 years before I was born.
Izhar Patkin, Unveiling of a Modern Chastity, 1981, rubber, latex, and ink on canvas. THought to be one of the first pieces of art responding to the aids crisis.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres produced work of uncompromising beauty and simplicity, transforming the everyday into profound meditations on love and loss. “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) is an allegorical representation of the artist’s partner, Ross Laycock, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1991. The installation is comprised of 175 pounds of candy, corresponding to Ross’s ideal body weight. Viewers are encouraged to take a piece of candy, and the diminishing amount parallels Ross’s weight loss and suffering prior to his death. Gonzalez-Torres stipulated that the pile should be continuously replenished, thus metaphorically granting perpetual life.
“For The Record by fierce pussy for Visual AIDS is a series of newsprint posters, stickers, postcards and downloadable broadsides, along with an exhibition at Printed Matter for Day With(out) Art 2013, the 24th anniversary of the project. For the Record mourns the loss of friends, family, lovers, artists and activists during the AIDS crisis and engages in a dialogue about the erasure of personal and collective memories from the historical record through this loss. Through poignant and powerful variations of the phrase “If he/she/they were alive today…,” fierce pussy explores the daily aspects of living not only with HIV/AIDS, but as a person in the world, and asks viewers to extract their own memories to consider our personal and social relationship to the AIDS crisis in the present” https://visualaids.org/projects/fierce-pussy
https://vimeo.com/9940327 An elegiac film made up of exterior images of the last residential addresses of a group of New York City artists who died of AIDS.
I have watched the documentary United in anger which is on the history of the act up movement in which I saw many parallels to life today, specifically in the US medical system. Along with parallels to other activist movements both in actions and goals. A great amount of solidarity between minority groups is show which reflects the span of the epidemic. And how an intersectional view was required to properly tackle the issues, such as how women with aids were ignored in classification of the disease, diagnosis and medical trials along with people of colour, poor people and drug users. These intersections either meant the way they were effected by the disease or how the medication effected them or support they were able to access. https://visualaids.org/projects/united-in-anger
I have watched the film 120 battlements par Minute, which is a docudrama about the act up movement in Paris in the ‘90s, it covers their demonstrations, meetings along with documenting the relationship of two characters who met at the meetings until the death of one of the men. The film had a brilliant balance between factual portrayal of the events and emotional drama investing you in the characters lives. The film is very impactful and engaging.
Some of the imagery within the film gave me ideas on how I could physically represent this concept. I have been thinking about how the movement used death in their demonstrations, from the demonstration in the us where they planned to catapult the corpse of a man who’s dies of aids into the White House and the use of the ashes of the deceased in their demonstrations. In the film they depicted a funeral with the funeral wreath in the hearse having a sign saying silence = death, one of the slogans used by act up to raise awesome and the practice of political funerals.
I’m interested in the relationship between political demonstration and art. With a lot of political demonstrations being an expressive of emotion through action.
This article has a speech segment going over the article. Discussing the anger the movement felt leading to the formation of the group. Showing examples of ways they fought to bring change.
Created by Robert Farber (1948-1995) for Visual AIDS, “Every Ten Minutes” is an audiotape in which the sound of a bell tolls once every 10 minutes, representing the (1991) statistic in which every 10 minutes someone dies of AIDS
Always at the forefront of contemporary art practice around HIV/AIDS, Visual AIDS works with artists to create Print+ Editions, which includes posters, buttons, broadsides, and safer sex kits that provoke dialogue, raise awareness, promote harm reduction and HIV prevention to our diverse communities. They are a fun, collectible, and creative way to provide information and promote conversation about the ongoing epidemic. These collaborative artist projects, which are publicly distributed for free, continue in the legacy of Visual AIDS’ iconic Red Ribbon.
I’m considering the possibility of using condoms as a material due to their importance in prevention and how they triggered a lot of debate with the church.
I discovered a website where you can design a condom which I feel could be interesting, especially if I’m thinking of creating an event. So as part of the event these could be handed out. I’m also interested in trying making work on condom packets and using them in work.
A collection of pieces protesting the gay blood donation ban.
I’m thinking about the role capitalism held in the aids crisis with how lack of funding held back progress significantly and how societal homophobia caused it to be completely ignored. So I’m very interested in the social situation that allowed aids to become such an epidemic.
I’m interested in how hauntology can be applied to the crisis through the shadow left behind by it.
I have been listening to some short lectures on hauntology and Derrida.
Luis Cruz Azeceta is an Artist who lived during the 80s as a Cuban Immigrant ans made work based on observations of life in New York, the one below is of the AIDS crisis.
I’m researching Kathe Kollwitz due to the political drive behind her work and how within her work she frequently explored and expressed themes of grief, death and injustice. She lost her son in ww1 and her grandson in ww2, she was a passionate advocate for pacifism which often is expressed through her work.
Lectures on Käthe Kollwitz I have watched in my research.
https://youtu.be/RfXad3HVox4 video discussing political art, talking about kathe kollwitz, kazimir Malevich, Picasso, Iri and toshi Maruki, Martha Rosler, these artists main,y focusing on the atrocities of war, other artists engaging in political themes mentioned are Elizabeth catlett, group materials aids time line, Alfredo jaar’s real pictures, Tania bruguera
I tested out my printing block, I’m happy with how the image came out as it reminds me of both Kathe Kollwitz and religious woodcuts which gives it an interesting context of the issues activists faced from the church, leading to a protest in New York called the die in St Patrick’s cathedral after comments from cardinal O’Connor’s comments regarding the crisis.
However I had issues with the press meaning my prints were coming out blurred.
I strongly feel that condoms are a powerful symbol of health, sexuality and defiance. Due to this I have been researching ways they have been used in or depicted in art from the AIDS crisis until now.
I discovered a website which allows you to order custom printed condoms,which is an avenue to consider. I would give them away/ collect charity donations for them as part of the public engagement aspects of my project, although I’m not sure if production will be running at the moment and how I would be able to distribute them now an exhibition isn’t possible and if without outside funding I would be able to achieve this financially.
Jenny Holder’s work using condoms printed with phrases.
This was a part of a demonstration by ACON, in 2014, covering the obelisk in Sydney’s Hyde park.
This was previously done in 1993 by ACT UP protesters in Paris, transforming cleopatra’s needle into a symbol of both prevention and awareness of the effects of AIDS.
Selection of works from the Visual Aids website Joseph Cotgrade HIV colouring sheet
“Despite the climate of fear and anxiety, however, Haring’s painting was celebratory. It was also an act of resistance. As Testone points out, it was his “vision of a world before AIDS—a celebration of gay male sexuality and resiliency at a time when mainstream America was quite terrified of gay male sexuality.”” https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-keith-harings-risque-mural-hidden-public-bathroom. This mural by kieth haring I feel encapsulates a lot of my theory reading about the hauntology of fear free gay sex which is something I definitely wish to include aspects of in my work.
I experimented with drawing prominent figures who died of AIDS on condom packets as a representation of the loss of culture and art due to the crisis and how widespread knowledge of precautionary measures could’ve possibly stopped this, as well as a representation of the way the virus is most often spread, with condoms being an inherently sexual object and I feel often public figures can have their sexuality censored and glossed over. I asked in CASS art what might be the best thing to use for this and we decided on posca markers which works very well, once the ink is dry it doesn’t easily rub off. I’ve decided to try drawing prominent figures who died of AIDS, here pictured are klaus nomi and Freddie Mercury.
Sketchbook page for my condom drawings
In my work mediums I am planning to explore and have began to experiment in are using condoms as an art material by drawing on them, using the condoms themselves, shredded to create fibres which I plan to make Victorian mourning hair works with, as a memorial the the lives lost and of ways of engaging in sexual relations lost to the crisis. The inspiration for the condoms being used to emulate mourning artworks is the cold and clinical way AIDS patients were treated at the end of their life and often after death, as Victorian mourning culture was a stark contrast to that, with post mortem photographs meaning handling bodies was commonplace and mementos such as hair showed a great amount of sentimentality and lack of fear around touching or being around dead bodies, or things that have been on them. An artist who has often worked with Victorian mourning imagery and with the materials of a piece being a key aspect of the piece is Dario Robleto who uses a multitude of repurposed objects in his art.
I have tried using condoms in cyanotypes, both in packets, on their own and empty packets and with a lancet for gathering blood samples for self testing. Below are the first batch I tried and pictures of them being developed.
I prefer the more abstract and organic forms of the condoms out of packets as the vagueness of the shapes feels more appropriate to the subject matter of hauntology of the AIDS crisis and fear free gay sex. I also feel they are more visually engaging and have more depth and variation. I have found given that condoms are transparent I need to be careful with how long I expose them to the sun so that the imprint of the condoms will show up.
Here are two that ended up overexposed
I am interested in cyanotype as a medium due to the fact that they are quite literally an echo of an image or item. It is also a process which relies on chemical reaction and is very science based but can also lead to random unexpected results which suits the scientific aspects to my project. Which lends very well to my project as I am exploring the cultural mark left by the AIDS crisis on the present day. I have been using condoms to create a visual narrative of sexuality and also protection. Condoms play a huge part in prevention of the spread of the virus but have also been a cause of contention between the affected groups and medical professionals advocating for their use and the church who discouraged it.
I have experimented with adding a few drops of my own blood to the mixture. Prussian blue was originally made from ox blood so using blood in cyanotypes feels like a nod to the history of the processes and science of art and photography. I extracted my blood with sterile lancets provided with HIV self test kits and following precautions for heath and safety such as sterilisation of surfaces after being in contact with my blood and the mixture. I wasn’t able to notice any changes in the results but if I am able to I might try adding more blood in case there is an effect. The use of blood in art work regarding the AIDS crisis is widespread. Blood, or at least fake blood was used in ACT UP demonstrations. Artists I have researched who have used blood in their work to talk about issues stemming from the crisis are Ron Athey, Jordan Eagles, Jaden Hastings, Conor Collins,
Jaden Hastings, plasmatype. Based on albumen printing which uses egg albumen. Jordan Eagles, work using the blood of nine by men, discussing the ban on gay men donating blood. Fake blood splattered on the floor after an ACT UP demonstration.
“The Blood Portrait project is from my ongoing work exploring ‘derivatives’ or ‘derivative printmaking’. The blood portraits explore the use of constitutes parts of blood, primarily hemaglobin, iron and copper salts, and natural pigments, as a medium for printed portraiture. It represents a Postdigital approach to printmaking that examines the interplay between analog, mechanical, and digital image making and the biological form as both subject and medium.” I find these interesting in how they use blood to represent individuality and the techniques used and innovation in combining science and art. I’m very interested in the intersection between science and art and the ways science can allow conceptual ideas to be expressed through art and use these techniques to express areas that are less able to be adequately represent by more traditional mediums and what scientific innovation can give to art.
Excerpts from the paper that struck me as explaining the papers content.
Reading this paper gave me lots of ideas around respectability politics, queer sex and hauntology of queer sex, in that there is a sense of loss around such spaces and I think these spaces hold an important space in queer history and politics which often seems to be erased. I like the idea of the possibility of utilising historic cruising spots in my project, it’s a shame that the Edwardian cloakroom gallery is no longer open as it would have been a perfect space to facilitate this kind of conversation within my art.
Crimp’s 1989 essay “Mourning and Militancy” looked at activism itself—or, rather, used a Freudian lens to look at how the states of grief and activism were mutually contradictory and mutually reinforcing for gay men. For gay men living through the loss of lovers and friends, mourning was difficult for reasons more and less obvious. They were young and unprepared—no one could be prepared to lose so many people, one after another—and, in mourning their dead, they had to face the possibility, or even the likelihood, of dying of the same disease. In addition, the disease was viewed by society as shameful, and the identity it exposed was shameful, rendering mourning itself illegitimate; mourning, according to Freud, was a finite process followed by a return to normality, but normality was not available to these mourners. Activism presented an answer of sorts. Crimp again mentioned Kramer—who raged against gay men who mourned passively, as though their grief could simply be converted into political action. It was so much more complicated than that, Crimp wrote. Activism was a response to mourning, but also a way to obscure grief—a way, in fact, to obscure life itself. https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-beautiful-uncertainty-of-douglas-crimp
Foundation studies blog 