aka Philipp Spiegel – Writer – Artist – Photographer
Seit 1989 kämpft die Organisation "Visual AIDS" gegen das Vergessen, gegen HIV/AIDS und unterstützt bis Heute HIV-Positive KünstlerInnen. Im Februar 2020 durfte ich einige dieser KünstlerInnen und AktivistInnen in New York besuchen. Ein Erfahrungsbericht über den Wandel den HIV und der Aktivismus in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten gemacht hat...
My story in BBC Mundo – about my diagnosis and the challenging years to follow; about dating, self reflection and love. After this was posted on the BBC I had received more messages than ever before. People from all over Latin and South America started writing me beautiful messages. Some thankful, some sad, telling me their stories. From Columbia, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Ecuador…the list goes on. Making me realize once more how grateful I am to be in Western Europe, to have friends and family around me who never discriminated, to have fantastic doctors, facilities and treatment and to be surrounded in an atmosphere where conservative structures aren’t as oppressive as elsewhere in the world. Of course there’s still a lot to do, even here. But we’ve come a long way. I’m always surprised how the impact of an HIV diagnosis can be so vastly different - depending on your location , your gender, your sexual orientation, even your family relations.
Here we go! The first big publication in the United States - a great thanks to the wonderful people at PLUS Magazine!
"I was more in the moment than I had ever been, more present than ever before, more grateful for being aware of what I had lost and found again"
Going Viral is the name of the first exhibition cycle after my diagnosis. It reflects the initial emotional challenges spanning over two years. By using abstracted photography I try to engage the viewer in showing what an HIV infection feels like. What goes on in the mind, the body and on an emotional level – [...]
Christopher Klettermayer 