School of Design and Art Deliberate Masquerades: Socialised Stigma, HIV/AIDS and Altered Gay Male Body Image Kim Stanley Medlen This thesis is presented for the Degree of Doctor of Creative Arts of Curtin University of Technology November 2010 Declaration To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgement has been made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. …………………………………… .... /.... / 2010 Kim Stanley Medlen ii For Philip iii Abstract Three themes are developed in this exegesis. Firstly, it discusses the conceptual base that informs the creative outcomes of this research. This centres on homo- sexuality, disease, illness and the deliberate masquerades that are often under- taken by HIV-positive Australian homosexual males as a response to socialised stigma. Through these masquerades, they enhance the physicality of their bodies so as to conform to Western cultural perceptions of masculine and healthy body ideals and thus avoid stigma that would otherwise be placed on them. This exploration draws upon theories from sociology to discuss these physical enhancements with an emphasis on the period since the onset of HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s. Secondly, it explores the works of visual artists that comment on the HIV/AIDS pandemic prior to the mid 1990s when no effective long-term treatments were available. Thirdly, it investigates HIV/AIDS-based art produced since the mid 1990s, after long-term treatments became available, and discusses how this work contrasts with the earlier works. Also discussed are the parallels and differences between the body of work that is supported by this exegesis and these other contemporary artworks that address HIV/AIDS issues. iv Table of Contents DECLARATION .................................................................................................. II ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................ VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................... IX 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 2 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIALISED STIGMA OF HOMOSEXUAL MEN ..................................................................................... 6 Historical and Contemporary Values and Attitudes ............................................ 6 Religious Influences and Intolerances ............................................................... 11 Political Institutions and Discriminatory Law ................................................... 14 HIV/AIDS and the Stigmatisation of Homosexual Men ................................... 18 Media ........................................................................................................... 21 Medicalisation .............................................................................................. 23 3 THE DELIBERATE MASQUERADE ......................................................... 26 Identity and the Masquerade ............................................................................. 27 HIV/AIDS and the Masquerade ........................................................................ 30 The Masculine Masquerade ............................................................................... 32 The Gaze ............................................................................................................ 37 4 ARTISTIC RESPONSES TO HIV/AIDS (1980 – 1994) ............................. 39 Political and Protest Art .................................................................................... 40 Educational Art .................................................................................................. 45 Memorial Art ..................................................................................................... 51 The AIDS Memorial Quilt ................................................................................ 56 5 ARTISTIC RESPONSES TO HIV/AIDS (1995 – 2009) ............................. 61 Contemporary HIV/AIDS-based artists ............................................................ 62 Doctoral Artwork .............................................................................................. 75 Doctoral Exhibition ........................................................................................... 81 6 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 84 REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 87 APPENDIX A: THESIS ARTWORKS ............................................................. 94 APPENDIX B: EXHIBITION VIDEO AND PHOTOGRAPHS .................... 99 v List of Figures Fig. 3.1: Buffalo hump. Courtesy hivandhepatitis.com 2005 ............................. 31 Fig. 3.2: Facial Lipodystrophy, „AIDS look‟. Courtesy Touch Cardiology 2005 ...................................................................................................... 32 Fig. 3.3: Cosmetic surgeon advertisement. Courtesy Blue 2002 n.p. ................. 34 Fig. 3.4: Kaposi‟s sarcoma (back). Courtesy In Their Own Words 2006. Karposi‟s sarcoma (chest). Courtesy HIV Web Study 2005 ................ 35 Fig. 3.5: Nude male images. Courtesy 2Blue 2003 n.p. ...................................... 36 Fig. 3.6: Classical Greek sculptures of Aristogeiton and Harmonius. Courtesy Androphile Project 2008 ....................................................... 36 Fig. 4.1: Derek Jarman, Blood 1992, oil on photocopy on canvas. Courtesy Gott 1994 p. 86 ..................................................................................... 41 Fig. 4.2: Frank Moore, Bubblebath 1990, oil on canvas with mixed media, 213×240cm. Courtesy Sperone Westwater 2006 .................................. 42 Fig. 4.3: H.J. Wedge, AIDS 1994, acrylic on water colour paper. Courtesy Gott 1994 p. 151 .................................................................................. 43 Fig. 4.4: Carl Tandatnick, AIDS Virus on White Blood Cell/Grey (Virus) Border 1993, silk-screen ink and paint on canvas. Courtesy Gott 1994 p. 64 ............................................................................................ 44 Fig. 4.5: Brenton Heath-Kerr, Homosapien 1994, laminated photochemical reproductions and cloth. Courtesy Gott 1994 p. 75 .............................. 44 Fig. 4.6: Brenton Heath-Kerr and Peter Elfe, Ken – The Safe Sex Character 1992, laminated cibachrome photographs and cloth. Courtesy Sendziuk 2003 p. 117 ............................................................................ 46 Fig. 4.7: David McDiarmid commissioned by AIDS Council of New South Wales, Some of us get out of it, some of us don‟t. All of us fuck with a condom, every time 1992, offset lithography. Courtesy Gott 1994 p. 154 .................................................................................................... 46 Fig. 4.8: AIDS Action Council ACT (with the assistance of ACT Health), Fuck Safe Shoot Clean 1993, offset lithography. Courtesy Gott 1994 p. 203 ........................................................................................... 47 Fig. 4.9: United Colors of Benetton, AIDS Face 1992. Courtesy United Colors of Benetton: Press Area 2007 .................................................... 48 Fig. 4.10: United Colors of Benetton, HIV Positive Arm 1993. Courtesy United Colors of Benetton: Press Area 2007 ........................................ 48 Fig. 4.11: Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health & Aboriginal Health Workers of Australia (Queensland), Condoman Says: Don‟t Be Shame Be Game: Use Condoms 1987, silkscreen. Courtesy Sendziuk 2003 plate 13 ......................................................... 49 Fig. 4.12: The „Grim Reaper‟ 1987, NACAIDS/ Grey Advertising. Courtesy Sendziuk 2003 p. 138 ............................................................................ 49 Fig. 4.13: Michele Barker, Lets Fuck 1992. Courtesy Sendziuk 2003 plate 14 .... 50 vi Fig. 4.14: Robert Mapplethorpe, Self Portrait 1988, photograph. Courtesy The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation Inc. 2006 .................................. 52 Fig. 4.15: William Yang, Sadness 1989, slide projection. Courtesy Gott 1994 p. 35-51 ................................................................................................. 53 Fig. 4.16: William Yang, Sadness 1989, slide projection. Courtesy Gott 1994 p. 35-51 ................................................................................................. 54 Fig. 4.17: The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt n.d. Courtesy In Their Own Words 2006 and Scudder 2010 .................................................... 57 Fig. 4.18: The Berlin Holocaust Memorial. Courtesy architecture.about.com 2010 ...................................................................................................... 58 Fig. 5.1: Keith Perrot, A Future Awaits 2005, photography, 46×38cm. Courtesy The Positive Side 2009 .......................................................... 63 Fig. 5.2: Shayo, Untitled 2006, wooden box, baby bottle, AIDS medication, 25.5×20.5×5cm. Courtesy The Positive Side 2009 .............................. 64 Fig. 5.3: Lidice-Benes, Petitfore 2002, glass cake stand, doily, AIDS medication, 27.9×33×33cm. Courtesy Artnet 2009 .............................. 64 Fig. 5.4: Gustavo Hennecke, Almost a Ghost 2004, digital art, 33×48cm. Courtesy The Positive Side 2009 .......................................................... 67 Fig. 5.5: Frank H Jump, Omega Oil 1997. Courtesy Jump 2008 ........................ 67 Fig. 5.6: Timothy Tate, Two Paths Taken n.d, blown glass and found objects, 30.5×18×18cm. Courtesy Tim Tate 2009................................ 68 Fig. 5.7: Timothy Tate, Heart Grid n.d, blown glass, Courtesy Tim Tate 2009 ...................................................................................................... 69 Fig. 5.8: Pompeo Batoni, Painting of a Sacred Heart on the altar in the northern side chapel of Il Gesu in Rome ca. 1740. Courtesy of Wikimedia 2010 .................................................................................... 69 Fig. 5.9: Timothy Tate, Bird Nest Reliquaries n.d, blown glass and found objects, 30.5×12.5× 12.5. Courtesy Tim Tate 2009 ............................. 71 Fig. 5.10: Timothy Tate, Mind over Matter n.d, cast glass electric components, original video, 30.5×12.5×12.5. Courtesy Tim Tate 2009 ................... 71 Fig. 5.11: Timothy Tate, Hear No Evil n.d, blown glass and found objects, 30.5×18×18cm. Courtesy Tim Tate 2009 ............................................. 71 Fig. 5.12: Timothy Tate, Sacred Heart of Healing n.d, blown glass, 40.6×20.3×10.2cm. Courtesy Tim Tate 2009 ....................................... 71 Fig. 5.13: Nelson French, untitled number12 from the series Meditation on Mortality 2004, pencil on collaged and digitally altered photo print. Courtesy The Positive Side 2009 .......................................................... 72 Fig. 5.14: Morgan McConnell, Sacred Heart 2005, scan of computer and hand illustration on dry mount 43.2×76.2cm. Courtesy The Positive Side 2009 ...................................................................................................... 73 Fig. 5.15: Steed Taylor, Blood Prints1 n.d. Courtesy Taylor 2009 ....................... 74 Fig. 5.16: Steed Taylor, Blood Prints2 n.d. Courtesy Taylor 2009 ....................... 74 Fig. 5.17: Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007, 22k gold plate over copper, silk ribbon (not shown), 10×7×5cm ......................................... 76 Fig. 5.18: Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007, automotive paint over balsa wood, 22k gold plate over copper, 15×8×5cm ............................ 76 Fig. 5.19: Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007, blackened 22k gold plate over copper, 14×8×5cm ........................................................................ 77 vii Fig. 5.20: Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007, automotive paint over balsa wood, 22k gold plate over copper, 15×8×5cm ............................ 77 Fig. 5.21: Lung histology. Courtesy iStockphoto 2009 ........................................ 78 Fig. 5.22: Testis histology. Courtesy Nature Network 2009 ................................. 78 Fig. 5.23: Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007, 22k gold plate over copper, automotive paint, 32×8×3cm ................................................... 78 Fig. 5.24: Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007, 22k gold plate over copper, silk ribbon (not shown), 14×8×5cm ......................................... 79 Fig. 5.25: Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007, automotive paint over 22k gold plate over copper, 32×8×3cm ................................................ 80 Fig. 5.26: Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007, 22k gold plate over copper, automotive paint, silk ribbon (not shown), 10×7×5cm ............ 81 Fig. 5.27:Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007 installation ............................ 82 Fig. 5.28:Kim Stanley Medlen, Masquerade 2007 installation detail .................. 82 viii Acknowledgements No thesis is ever the product of just one person's efforts, and certainly this one was no different. I am extremely grateful to many people for their help, both directly and indirectly, in the construction of this exegesis as it would never have become reality without their invaluable assistance and motivation. First and foremost I would like to thank my partner Philip. If it was not for his love, patience, understanding and encouragement this document would not have been completed. I would also like to thank him for his painstaking efforts at proofread- ing and for the many times he has come to my rescue with various computer disasters. I also owe a great deal to my friend and neighbour Colleen Ernst who, at the very beginning of this thesis some many years ago, tutored me on the nuances of formal academic writing. Her passion and devotion to the written word continues to amaze me. A special mention must go to my supervisors Dr Ann Schilo and Ms Brenda Ridgewell. I am particularly grateful for their thoughtful and creative comments on thesis structure and visual artwork aesthet- ics. Thanks are also due to Chris Geoghegan, for the many hours he spent photographing and videoing my artwork, and the John Curtin Gallery staff; Ted Snell, Chris Malcolm, Barbara Cotter and Pauline Williams. I would particularly like to thank Vashti Innes-Brown and Steven Cestrilli for their outstanding installation skills - I couldn‟t have hoped for a better outcome. Finally, I would like to express heartfelt thanks to Vanessa Buemi for sharing her thoughts and ideas concerning visual art and sexuality. ix 1 Introduction The first recognised cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) occurred in the United States of America (USA) in 1980 when a number of gay men in New York and California began to develop rare opportunistic infections and cancers that were resistant to treatment. The cause of AIDS, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was not identified by scientists until 1984 (Avert 2009). Since then, HIV infection, and its progression into AIDS, has spread to such an extent that it now impacts all people, either directly or indirectly, in all countries of the world, affecting the social, moral, medical and political fabric of society. The 2009 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic (UNAIDS 2009) estimates that some 33.4 million people are now living with HIV worldwide. In 2008, approximately 2.7 million became newly infected with HIV, while 2 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses. To date, approximately 60 million people have been infected with HIV and AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognised. The 2009 report estimated that in 2008 US$15.6 billion in financial resources was used worldwide for education, prevention, treatment and care. This was estimated to rise to US$25 billion in 2010 (UNAIDS 2009). Clearly, this epidemic has had a staggering impact with much human suffering. Of the 33.4 million people living with HIV, the author of this exegesis is but one. After being infected and diagnosed with HIV in 1984, he proceeded in 1997 to develop an opportunistic AIDS-related illness (Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia), whereupon his immune system was reduced to less than 5% of normal levels and the future looked bleak. In the early 1990s there were few therapies available, mainly consisting of AZT (Azidothymidine) drug therapy, which impedes the viruses‟ ability to replicate. However, the AIDS virus mutates rapidly and quickly becomes resistant to this therapy, with the average effectiveness of AZT lasting only 6-12 months (Dybul et al. 2002). 1