Exhibition: Jenny Holzer #LightTheFight
The NYC AIDS Memorial is pleased to announce #LightTheFight, an interactive art experience which will take place on World AIDS Day, Saturday December 1, 2018. #LightTheFight, a collaboration with world-renowned visual artist Jenny Holzer, will kick off with an interactive ceremony and performance at dusk (4:30pm EST) at the New York City AIDS Memorial Park in the heart of the West Village, corner of W 12th St & Greenwich Avenue.
Following the ceremony, a fleet of five trucks emblazoned with LED signs will begin a journey through the city displaying a series of quotes that convey the impact, history, and ongoing battle against the AIDS epidemic worldwide. Selected and presented by Holzer, the writings by poets, activists, artists, educators, and people living with HIV and AIDS span a range of emotions from sorrow and fury to endurance and transcendence. The texts will be animated in black and white, with the occasional burst of color to amplify the messages and add emphasis.
View Gallery
The procession of mobile LED billboards will drive through the city lingering at various historically significant sites and areas including The LGBT Community Center, Harlem, Times Square, the Hudson River Piers near Christopher Street, and the Meatpacking District—now home to the Whitney Museum of American Art. The public is encouraged to observe the installation at one of its many stops and share their experience on social media using the #LightTheFight hashtag.
#LightTheFight marks the inaugural launch of the NYC AIDS Memorial Arts and Education Initiative. The initiative will support interactive, experiential, digital, and site-specific educational and arts programming and will further the Memorial’s aim to honor the more than 100,000 people who have died from AIDS in New York City and the tens of millions more who have died throughout the world.
Speaking about her involvement in the project, Jenny Holzer said: “I’m working on #LightTheFight because the fight against AIDS continues. It’s crucial to maintain awareness that the AIDS epidemic is live, in New York and around the world. The messages on the trucks’ screens, contributed by feeling people, could comfort those affected by AIDS and reignite fires in bellies to end AIDS forever.”
On the launch of the NYC AIDS Memorial Arts and Education Initiative, Chairperson of the Board of Directors Keith Fox said: “With the NYC AIDS Memorial Arts and Education Initiative, we will continue to honor the men, women, and children who have died of AIDS and to commemorate and celebrate the efforts of caregivers and activists who have devoted their lives to this cause. We’re thrilled to be able to launch this important initiative with a truly powerful and engaging art experience like #LightTheFight, and we’re extremely thankful for Jenny’s contribution to the initiative.”
The #LightTheFight experience would not be possible without the help of the NYC AIDS Memorial’s community partners including The LGBT Community Center, The Poetry Society of America, Lyft and The Ford Foundation.
