The stories behind 40 years of community initiatives
From August 19 through September 9, 2022 (and through September 25 at IHLIA!), House of Hiv highlighted the many initiatives from HIV communities over the past forty years. At various locations in Amsterdam, there were rooms displaying stories from the history of forty years of HIV and AIDS in the Netherlands.
House of Hiv is an initiative Hello Gorgeous, Mainline, Trans United, Black Queer Archives, Prostitution Information Center, IHLIA and the HIV Association. Seven community organizations representing people and groups disproportionately affected by HIV.
Journey
The exhibition takes the journey from a life expectancy of zero to normal. Whereas AIDS used to be the death sentence, today HIV is no longer a public health threat and, with proper medication, is no longer sexually transmitted.
However, this has also reduced attention to HIV, which has ensured that the still prevailing taboo and stigma due to lack of knowledge is maintained. One of the goals of House of Hiv is to break this, both within vulnerable groups who benefit from HIV treatment, and in society where there is often still a false image about HIV.
Different rooms
HIV-affected communities have played an important role in responding to and dealing with the disease. The exhibition focuses on four themes that together tell the story of forty years of living and coping with HIV: remembering, caring, fighting and healing.
Using different rooms that make up the house, the stories behind the initiatives are shown. For example, buddy systems emerged, AIDS Memorial Day was created and the communities set up all kinds of prevention projects, such as PrEP workshops.
The rooms will be filled with (historical) imagery, art and photographic works by Basse Stittgen, Erwin Olaf and others.
House of Hiv is a house under construction, and this exhibition will also begin archiving the history of Dutch HIV activism.
Location: IHLIA Plaza, Oosterdokskade 143, 3rd floor (OBA Oosterdok)
When: 19 August – 25 September 2022
More information: The exhibition was on display from August 19 through September 9, 2022 at various locations in Amsterdam. The various rooms were set up in the buildings of Prostitution Information Center (PIC), Mainline, Hiv Association, IHLIA, Black Queer Archives, Trans United and Tetterode
Photography exhibition at IHLIA Plaza: Henri Blommers
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A small online impression of the exhibition can be found at IHLIA Outside the Box
