All good things…

A little recap and impressions from the Paris exhibition…

After three weeks the exhibition “ArtPositive” at the Gallery Marie de Holmsky in the heart of Paris has, sadly, come to an end. I am unbelievably grateful to have been part of this. The first exhibition in Paris in which openly HIV-Positive people show off their work – not hiding from the exposure of our Virus, but standing by it proudly. To stir a bit of attention to the stigmas and challenges so many people still face.

I can only admire my colleagues who participated in this. Although we share a virus, our experiences, lives and ideas concerning HIV differ so greatly. A Bulgarian living in Paris, an english lady, a Catalan and an Austrian living in Barcelona. We are of diverse ages, diverse sexual orientations and even different generations; sharing our creativity; and showcasing the vast history of HIV in Europe.

It is incredible to see how medicinal issues have progressed; while at the same time, progress in societal discrimination has only inched forward at an alarmingly slow pace.

Our work and background differ greatly – our messages as well. But there are still connections.

My work in this exhibition is part of a long-term project titled “the privilege of intimacy”. My HIV diagnosis stripped me of my feeling of intimacy for a long time; something that was once so natural to me had been taken away after which I had to embark on a journey to rediscover what intimacy means to me, and to learn to appreciate it even more. (I will be sharing more of this in good time)

Reflecting upon this, I realised the absence of intimacy is more wide-spread than I had thought. Not only people living with HIV, but all people who live in fear of being ostracised or stigmatised by a wide range of reasons – or simply don’t have the opportunity. Single mothers, LGBTQ+ people in certain environments – or anyone who feels they need to hide out of societal reasons.

Thank you to all the wonderful artists:

Adrienne Seed
Nacho Hernandez Alvar e z
Boré Ivanoff

Remi Marie de Holmsky of the gallery Marie de Holmsky