The World

Today is World AIDS Day. As some of you will know it is a subject that has been close to my heart for some time.

I wrote this in 2001 for my first solo show:
As an adolescent growing up in the 1980’s, discovering sex and sexuality, I have grown up in a world with HIV/AIDS. While it has not really impacted on my life until this year, it has long held my interest.

It still does.

At the moment there's a fantastic series "The Age of AIDS" screening, naturally, late on Sunday nights on TV One least those of strong moral and ethical fibre be offended. Tomorrow is episode three. It's well worth staying up late for, or setting the video, or finding a bit torrent version. It's informative, scary, sad, and dumbfounding.

Here's a pic of Billy Apple at Hamish McKay's old gallery. Billy made a set of these works - screen printed perspex from memory - and Hamish had the show. It was Saturday, 26 May 2001, and it was only on for the day. A few of the Art fraternity came out, but not many - not while I was there anyway.

Being Billy, the size and price of the work was related to the Golden Ratio or something, but money from each sale was going to the NZ Aids Foundation. They were only $500 or so. I would have bought one were it not for the fact that I was a poor student (and, more likely, hadn't yet caught the Art buying bug).

This is the table they were on. You got an envelope too, complete with NZAF branding no less, and maybe a certificate of authentication and edition number (but I can't honestly say cos I didn't buy one).