Page 21 - INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

DESIGN N THINGS. ARTIST
September/October. PROFILES
20

The mid to late 1990’s were introduced to the awareness of AIDS

and art was a loud voice to inform the public about it.

by Martyn Anstice

n 1984, Haring visited 1,000 children collaborating on a fit album A Very Special Christ-
Australia and painted project for the centennial of the mas, on which Madonna was in-
wall murals in Melbourne Statue of Liberty. cluded. In 1988 he joined a select
(such as the 1984 ‘De- When asked about the com- group of artists whose work has
tail-Mural at Collingwood mercialism of his work, Haring appeared on the label of Chateau
College, Victoria’) and Sydney said: “I could earn more money Mouton Rothschild wine.
and received a commission from if I just painted a few things and A rare video of Haring at
the National Gallery of Victo- jacked up the price. My shop is work shows his energetic style.
ria and the Australian Centre an extension of what I was doing He wrote: “I am becoming much
for Contemporary Art to create in the subway stations, break- more aware of movement. The
a mural which temporarily re- ing down the barriers between importance of movement is in-
placed the water curtain at the high and low art.” By the arriv- tensified when a painting be-
National Gallery. He also visited al of Pop Shop, his work began comes a performance. The per-
and painted in Rio de Janeiro, reflecting more socio-political formance (the act of painting)
the Musée d’Art Moderne de la themes, such as anti-Apartheid, becomes as important as the re-
Ville de Paris, Minneapolis and AIDS awareness, and the crack sulting painting.”
Manhattan. He became polit- cocaine epidemic. He even cre- Haring was openly gay and
ically active, designing a Free ated several pop art pieces influ- was a strong advocate of safe
South Africa poster in 1985, and enced by other products: Absolut sex; however, in 1988, he was
in 1986, painting a section of the Vodka, Lucky Strike cigarettes, diagnosed with AIDS. In 1989,
Berlin Wall. He was interested and Coca-Cola. In 1987 he had he established the Keith Haring
in working with children and his own exhibitions in Helsinki, Foundation to provide funding
this inspired the project Citykids Antwerp, and elsewhere. He also and imagery to AIDS organiza-
Speak on Liberty, which involved designed the cover for the bene- tions and children’s programs,

| september/october