Not Sacred
An exhibition commissioned by the Nathan Cummings Foundation

Statement by Barbara Hunt, Exhibit Curator, Executive Director, Visual AIDS

"Art about AIDS will continue to help abate ignorance and bigotry. It cannot help to save lives, but it can help the rest of us to live".

-- Thomas Sokolowski

Not Sacred presents four artists who deal directly with the challenges of living with HIV and AIDS. The result of dialogue between Visual AIDS and the Nathan Cummings Foundation, this exhibition presents art which tackles weighty and often difficult issues of HIV and AIDS, and which does so with beauty, resonance, and surprisingly, with humor.

Barton Lidice Benes, Rebecca Guberman, Michael Slocum and Steed Taylor raise issues about AIDS which society would prefer to turn away from - taboo or sensitive subjects which confront our conscious and sub-conscious fears. Their work challenges the sanctity of the mainstream, which would prefer not to consider the reality of living with AIDS and the impact of the pandemic on our communities. The reality of infected blood, estate planning, issues of individual choice or control of treatment programs, and the role of the family - these are all brought to our attention. Serious and weighty issues indeed - yet above all, the artwork presented here is moving, inspiring and insightful.