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ASAMER
Rebels Rebel: AIDS, Art and Activism in New York, 1979-1989
Text by Tommaso Speretta. Afterword by Loring McAlpin.
Rebels Rebel looks at the history of AIDS activism undertaken by various artistic collectives in New York between 1979 and 1989. Among these once-controversial, now-legendary collectives were Gran Fury (who scandalized the 1990 Venice Biennale with their billboards juxtaposing the pope and his anti-contraception stance with a two-foot high penis), the Silence = Death Project (who appropriated and inverted the Nazis' pink triangle), Gang and DIVA TV. These collectives addressed concrete social problems using unconventional media, and in doing so helped to shift the public and political perception of the AIDS crisis. Collating a wealth of materials and perspectives, from graphic design to art works, and from sociopolitical to art-historical reflections, Rebel Rebels is an important and thorough examination of a rare overlap between art and activism during a time of heightened conservativism in America. It includes a full-color poster.
Featured image is reproduced from Rebel Rebels.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Fantastic Man
Michael Bullock
With his just-published “REBELS REBEL”, Mr. TOMMASO SPERETTA has reprinted a wealth of work by the likes of ACT UP and GRAN FURY, collectives that made radical art demanding social change in New York 1979-1989. Their genius was to use language and techniques gleaned from the advertising agencies of Madison Avenue, and a handful of the campaigns are super-famous, such as ACT UP’s SILENCE = DEATH posters. Many became all but extinct once they’d done their job, but they bear revisiting here. A deck of Aids-themed playing cards addresses 24 areas of government inaction around the pandemic, with one showing a collection of alarm clocks alongside the text “U.S. Spends more in 5 hours on Defense than 5 years on Healthcare.” A subway poster by Mr. RICHARD DEAGLE bears a portrait of Mr. ED KOCH (then the mayor of New York) with the words “10,000 New York City Aids Deaths, How’m I Doin?”. A magazine ad by GRAN FURY from 1989 pictures a scientist working in a laboratory with this despicable quote from a pharmaceutical executive, “One million [people with Aids] isn’t a market that’s exciting. Sure it’s growing but it’s no asthma.” The book celebrates the power of such work, with its bold and straightforward graphic design, in informing the public and changing popular opinion, as well as shaming government into doing its job. It also represents TOMMASO’s debut book project. Congratulations all round.
FORMAT: Pbk, 5.25 x 8.5 in. / 264 pgs / 100 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $39.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $53.95 ISBN: 9789490693237 PUBLISHER: AsaMER AVAILABLE: 9/30/2014 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of stock indefinitely AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: NA LA
Rebels Rebel: AIDS, Art and Activism in New York, 1979-1989
Published by AsaMER. Text by Tommaso Speretta. Afterword by Loring McAlpin.
Rebels Rebel looks at the history of AIDS activism undertaken by various artistic collectives in New York between 1979 and 1989. Among these once-controversial, now-legendary collectives were Gran Fury (who scandalized the 1990 Venice Biennale with their billboards juxtaposing the pope and his anti-contraception stance with a two-foot high penis), the Silence = Death Project (who appropriated and inverted the Nazis' pink triangle), Gang and DIVA TV. These collectives addressed concrete social problems using unconventional media, and in doing so helped to shift the public and political perception of the AIDS crisis. Collating a wealth of materials and perspectives, from graphic design to art works, and from sociopolitical to art-historical reflections, Rebel Rebels is an important and thorough examination of a rare overlap between art and activism during a time of heightened conservativism in America. It includes a full-color poster.
