Positive Voices
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
In an interview with SHOWStudio's Lou Stoppard for their ongoing "In Camera" series, queer artist/activist Wolfgang Tillmans spoke candidly about the impact HIV has had on his personal and professional life. "I found out, I myself am HIV positive, but I never made that an active subject in my work, "he said. "People are so scared of Aids that everything in the work foreshadows this."
Tillmans continued, opening up about his boyfriend Jochen Klein, a German painter who died from AIDS-related complications in 1997. "HIV impacted my life from the first day of experiencing having sex," Tillmans said. "Of course, it affected me when my boyfriend, my love of my life suddenly died of it. At the time therapy was possible, but he found out too late."
Related | Mykki Blanco's 'Hideaway' Video: Dedicated to 37 Million HIV Positive People
The artist remembered having sleepless nights at 16, when he was worried he'd die soon after having sex with a man. "I had a swollen gland, but of course I was just being a hypochondriac," he said--a mindset fueled by a toxic climate that heavily stigmatized HIV positive people. "AIDS has always been in my life," he added. "I'm aware of the fragility of life."
Referencing a 1992 AIDS-focused issue of i-D, Tillmans specifically called out a double page spread by Simon Foxton that said, "We haven't stopped dancing yet." In those days "people were just dying," Tillmans said. "Of course people were clubbing, as well. I'm more than grateful that science and chemistry have allowed medication to exist."
Photo via i-D
Though Tillmans says he doesn't believe all artists need to be creating political work, he has in the past created imagery that speaks directly to his own queer experience living with HIV. "Not every photograph is a comfortable one and I find photography embarrassing because you're revealing your interests," he said. "To overcome that embarrassment you have to feel a certain sense of urgency, like you need this picture, and you want to talk about it and that is important."
Tillmans' 2014 photograph, "17 Years' Supply," depicts a giant cardboard box filled with bottles of HIV drugs--some marked with Tillmans' own name. His work, as a whole, has also largely spoken to the LGBTQ experience: 2014's "Arms and Legs" is an erotic close-up of a male hand slipped underneath another man's red athletic shorts; 2012's "Juan Pablo & Karl, Chingaza" features two men smoking and laying together on a bed of grass.
Watch Wolfgang Tillman's full SHOWstudio interview, below.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
41 male celebs who did full frontal scenes
September 16 2024 2:02 PM
39 LGBTQ+ celebs you can follow on OnlyFans
November 19 2024 9:39 AM
33 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
September 17 2024 5:43 PM
26 LGBTQ+ reality dating shows & where to watch them
December 10 2024 12:38 PM
21 times male celebrities had to come out as straight
November 19 2024 3:33 PM
17 queens who quit or retired from drag after 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
November 30 2024 12:26 AM
52 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
August 27 2024 1:08 PM
15 things only bottoms understand
October 08 2024 5:18 PM
15 gay celebrity couples who make us believe in love
October 03 2024 5:43 PM
A gay adult film star's complete guide to bottoming
September 16 2024 8:50 AM
Latest Stories
These athletes came out as LGBTQ+ in 2024 (so far)
December 11 2024 5:02 AM
Happy Golden Globe nom, Cooper Koch! A celebratory thirst roundup
December 10 2024 7:26 PM
Nick Dumont: Coming out was 'one of the longest challenges' and 'most rewarding'
December 10 2024 6:38 PM
Meet newly out tennis pro Joao Lucas Reis da Silva
December 10 2024 5:04 PM
The twinks come on top in Pornhub's spicy stats for 2024
December 10 2024 2:15 PM
Look at the beautiful, uncensored men of Ron Amato's Provincetown
December 10 2024 2:08 PM
Meet Maven Maurer, the former pro football player who came out as trans
December 10 2024 12:47 PM
Ultimate 'Wicked' guide: Easter eggs, meanings, foreshadowing & future
December 10 2024 9:00 AM
What we know about CEO shooter suspect Luigi Mangione — and why the gays are captivated
December 09 2024 5:27 PM
16 gay NFL players who proved that LGBTQ+ athletes belong in football
December 09 2024 3:47 PM
TikToker reveals girthy results from his personal 'Grindr Wrapped' round-up
December 09 2024 3:35 PM
Victory for LGBTQ+ couples in landmark fertility coverage case
December 09 2024 3:25 PM