A sculpture from iconic artist and LGBT activist Keith Haring will be added to the city’s tribute garden to AIDS victims.
Haring’s “Self-Portrait” sculpture will be placed in the new AIDS Garden set to open in 2019, according to a news release from the Mayor’s Office. Haring was a famed artist and activist in the late ’80s and early ’90s who himself died from AIDS-related complications.
While AIDS and HIV can affect anyone, they have heavily impacted gay communities. When AIDS first came to public attention in the late ’80s, it was widely ignored for years because it was perceived as a virus that only affected and killed gay people. Queer activists like Haring worked for years to bring more attention to AIDS and its impact on gay people.