Collection Online

Body language
1990
from the Kiss of light series 1990

Medium
self adhesive plastic collage and enamel paint on plywood

Measurements
152.4 × 121.8 cm

Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1997
© David McDiarmid/Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia

Gallery location
Gallery 10
Level 2, NGV Australia

 

About this work

David McDiarmid’s art moves between the categories of high and low, craft, fashion, pop culture and activism. Inscribed on the figure’s body in this work are the names of McDiarmid’s friends and lovers who had died of AIDS-related illnesses. The swastika on the head, incorporating each letter of the acronym AIDS, refers to extreme political and social conservatism in the wake of the AIDS crisis, particularly in regard to governments’ refusal to supply funding for health and education programs.

Artwork Details

Inscription
inscribed in fibre-tipped pen on reverse u.c.: David McDiarmid / "Body Language" / 1990

Accession Number
1997.92

Department
Contemporary Art

This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation