Rainbow Aphorisms / David McDiarmid

PXA 7726

fonds

2012

Graphic Materials, Posters

9670950

9 posters - inkjet prints on paper - 49 x 33 cm

David Ross McDiarmid was born on 5 September 1952 in Hobart, Tasmania, and grew up in Melbourne, Victoria. He initially studied design for film and television at the Swinburne College of Technology, however left before graduation to pursue a career as an artist. He moved to Sydney in 1972 where he helped organize the Sydney Gay Liberation movement, wrote and illustrated for the organisation's Newsletter. His artistic works were exhibited in various Sydney galleries in 1976, 1977 and 1978, and he was also involved in the demonstration on 24 June 1978 which led to the creation of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. In 1979, he travelled to the United States to continue his art career and it was in New York City in 1986 that he was diagnosed with HIV. He returned to Sydney where he was appointed director of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras from 1988 to 1990, and an advocate for HIV/AIDS human rights and medical treatment. He continued working as an artist, focusing on speaking out about HIV/AIDS until his death on 25 May 1995 in Darlinghurst, Sydney.

Source:
Australian Dictionary of Biography. "David Ross McDiarmid". Accessed 22 January 2024. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mcdiarmid-david-ross-27121

Studio Voltaire displayed selected works from the full series of Rainbow Aphorisms in public spaces around Clapham and Brixton, England, from 1 November 2017 to 1 November 2018 in partnership with This is Clapham and Art on the Underground.

9 posters, inkjet prints on Platine fibre cotton rag paper, from the 2012 reissue of Rainbow Aphorisms by David McDiarmid, a series of 31 posters originally created between 1993 and 1995 produced in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis and the personal experiences of McDiarmid and members of his LGBTQIA+ community.

1. Q
2. 'Just this once won't kill me'
3. 'The family tree stops here darling'
4. 'I'm too sexy to have AIDS'
5. 'Don't forget to remember'
6. Anger denial depression bargaining acceptance'
7. 'Flippancy sentimentality sarcasm camp smut'
8. 'I want a future that lives up to my past'
9. Don't worry, be young, be happy, make a will'

In copyright:
Copyright holder:: Estate of David McDiarmid
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy copyright holder