On December 1, 2016 Gallery 400 in collaboration with Visual AIDS presents COMPULSIVE PRACTICE as part of the annual Day With(out) Art. Two screenings are presented, at noon and 4pm. In addition to the screening, PrEP4Love Ambassadors speak about their campaign and are available for questions from 2-4pm.

About COMPULSIVE PRACTICE

Screening at 12 and 4pm

For the 2016 Day With(out) Art, Visual AIDS presents COMPULSIVE PRACTICE, a video compilation of compulsive, daily, and habitual practices by nine artists and activists who live with their cameras as one way to manage, reflect upon, and change how they are deeply affected by HIV/AIDS. This hour-long video program is distributed internationally to museums, art institutions, schools and AIDS organizations.

From video diaries to civil disobedience, holiday specials and backstage antics, Betamax to YouTube, COMPULSIVE PRACTICE displays a diversity of artistic approaches, experiences, and expectations. The compulsive video practices of these artists serve many purposes—cure, treatment, outlet, lament, documentation, communication—and have many tones—obsessive, driven, poetic, neurotic, celebratory. COMPULSIVE PRACTICE will demonstrate the place of technology, self-expression, critique, and community in the many decades and the many experiences of artists and activists living with AIDS.

COMPULSIVE PRACTICE is curated by Jean Carlomusto, Alexandra Juhasz, and Hugh Ryan. Participating video makers and artists include James Wentzy, Nelson Sullivan (1948-1989), Ray Navarro (1964-1990), Carol Leigh aka Scarlot Harlot, Juanita Mohammed, Luna Luis Ortiz, Mark S. King, Justin B. Terry-Smith, and the Southern AIDS Living Quilt.

About PrEP4Love

Presentation 2-4pm

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a way for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day. PrEP4Love is a citywide social marketing campaign featuring Chicago residents that shows how Chicagoans can love, explore, and touch freely because of #PrEP. PrEP4Love Ambassadors are present to answer questions about PrEP and the campaign.

Performance by Darling Shear at 5:15pm

Darling Shear is Chicago native, mixed media artist, dancer, and healer. Their art and performance have been presented in numerous venues in Chicago and nationally.

About Day With(out) Art

In 1989 in response to the worsening AIDS crisis and coinciding with the World Health Organization’s second annual World AIDS Day on December 1, Visual AIDS organized the first Day Without Art. A Visual AIDS committee of art workers (curators, writers, and art professionals) sent out a call for “mourning and action in response to the AIDS crisis” that would celebrate the lives and achievements of lost colleagues and friends; encourage caring for all people with AIDS; educating diverse publics about HIV infection; and finding a cure. More than 800 arts organizations, museums and galleries throughout the U.S. participated by shrouding artworks and replacing them with information about HIV and safer sex, locking their doors or dimming their lights, and producing exhibitions, programs, readings, memorials, rituals, and performances. Day Without Art is now an international collaborative project in which more than 8,000 museums, galleries, art centers, AIDS service organizations, libraries, high schools and colleges take part.

Official Website

More events on this date

Tags: Alexandra Juhasz, Carol Leigh aka Scarlot Harlot, Chicago, DARLING SHEAR, Gallery 400, Hugh Ryan, James Wentzy, Jean Carlomusto, Juanita Mohammed, Justin B. Terry-Smith, Luna Luis Ortiz, Mark S. King, near west side, Nelson Sullivan, Ray Navarro, Southern AIDS Living Quilt, Visual AIDS, Visual AIDS Day With(out) Art