David Wojnarowicz – Activism

I have been reflecting upon what is for me the reason to be in art school and to make art in the first place, and a big part is to respond to what outrages me and to do something about it. With this urge to create social change with art in mind, I thought of the word activism, which inspired me to find an artist to write about, I chose David Wojnarowicz. He was born in 1954 in New Jersey. His pieces ranged from photography, painting, music, film, sculpture, and writing. Wojnarowicz was influenced by the graffiti culture, no wave music, conceptual photography, performance, and neo-expressionist painting. He became an activist on the AIDS crisis, himself been a gay man with AIDS. In his work, he talked about the loss of those close to him, about love, religion, and sex (mostly in the queer community).

Here are some of his pieces:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Untitled (One Day This Kid . . .), 1990–91

https://whitney.org/Exhibitions/DavidWojnarowicz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Untitled (Act-Up), 1990.

https://whitney.org/Exhibitions/DavidWojnarowicz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Untitled, from the Sex Series (For Marion Scemama), 1989.

https://whitney.org/Exhibitions/DavidWojnarowicz#exhibition-artworks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Feel A Vague Nausea, 1990.

https://whitney.org/Exhibitions/DavidWojnarowicz

 

I am an international student from Venezuela that desires to communicate with the world around me visually. I hope that I can become a part of the global conversation where I can tell stories that are untold. With a background in business and languages, I have experienced how different fields will always connect at some points, and I aspire to reinforce that connection in my work. I believe that there is not one pure aesthetic, and therefore I have chosen to collaborate and learn from those around me to every day grow as an artist.

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