A still from a performance in which the artist Szymon Adamczak enacts a series of dance movements and performative gestures with his collaborator Billy Mullaney. In this still, one of the men is on all fours crouched over the other with their eyes locked on each other. The man on the bottom lays on his back with his arms and legs wrapped around the crouched man. Both wear sheer, loosely fitted clothing in neutral tones.

Images of two figures have been superimposed over newspaper clippings. One of the figures is on their back, wrapped and bound tightly in brightly colored paper or plastic. The other figure, who is nude, stands behind them. The nude figure looks down on the bound figure, with their hand over their chest. The news clippings in the background display headlines and archival photos related to the AIDS epidemic.

A photo of a femme person standing at a counter in a kitchen setting. They hold a bowl of food they’ve just prepared while looking down at the counter to read the front page of a newspaper. Everything in the photo suggests a normal morning routine, with the exception that the person has a balloon structure tied around them. Multiple long, thin balloons, the kind used for balloon animals, are interlaced to create a webbed structure around the person.

A photo of a femme person sitting at a kitchen table. Books, snacks, papers, and trinkets are strewn across the table. The femme person, who stares directly at the camera, wears a red tank top and floral leggings. Adding a slightly surreal aspect to the image is the fact that a beige soft sculpture has been wrapped around the person’s neck and over their head, though the person seems oblivious to it.

A digital image of the words "POZ 4 PLEASURE" surrounded by rainbow helix strands suggesting party streamers or a dna strand. This is all imposed over a black background with multi-colored balloons floating around the edges.

An image of the artist is superimposed over a digital animation of furry porn in a barn setting. The artist stands straight, hands at his side, and eyes closed. He is nude except for the white jockstrap he wears that reads “silence equals death”. In the digital animation in the background we see a horse/human hybrid and a fox-like creature having sex.

In the video still we see two figures in bright, distorted, posterized, colors. One figure is so near in the foreground that we only see their waist. They wear a white jockstrap stretched over blue overalls. The jockstrap reads “viral underclass” with a red “X” over the crouch. The other figure with royal blue skin is on his back with his legs pulled up. His pants are pulled down enough to show a bouquet of flowers protruding from his anus. He wears a jockstrap on his head that says “AIDS” in a blue heart.

A black and white self-portrait of the artist with his back turned to the camera. On his back are a dozen bejeweled trinkets arranged in an intricate pattern. The artist faces a white wall, head pointed down, and shoulders slightly slumped.

A photograph shows a fleshy, meaty cube-like object enclosed in a larger cube made with a steel frame and tinted yellow glass that reads “79” in bold red letters, all against a white background.

A photograph shows a fleshy, meaty object with a meat hook poking out, framed and enclosed by a “Brillo” box with red, white, and blue coloring, all against a background that fades from white to black.

A video still shows a small hoofed animal in it’s fetal stage resting on the furry belly of its parent. The developing creature is devoid of fur and eyes, instead only has a rubbery, red, and fleshy body.

This photograph documents a wheat-pasted mural of a series of six images of bodies of color with undergarments “wedgied” in various positions in domestic settings. The undergarments appear to be a central object in scenes of pleasure, and all figures face away from the gaze of the viewer, focusing on the rear. The work is framed by what looks to be existing street art/graffiti.

This photograph documents a wheat-pasted mural of a muscular brown figure pulling up gray undergarments in a clasp over their head against a cream background. The figure faces away from the viewer, and their bottom is obscured by wisps of gray over black spray paint. The mural has a slight tear in the upper left hand corner and is framed by existing graffiti.

This photograph documents a wheat-pasted mural of a brown figure whose white undergarments are pulled up through the buttox, the figure is on all fours on a wood floor in front of a radiator. There is a tear in the mural, from the center-top that covers the figure in a bed-sheet like manner, exposing the white of the paper underneath.

A black/gray/white photograph of a nude, young, “male-bodied” figure peering down at a cellphone in his right hand. The left hand scratches the top of his dark black hair, he stands atop a round stool in the center of a small kitchen, in front of the oven.

A black/gray/white photograph of a marble statue of a bearded masculine figure holding and looking intently at a child. The pieces of the statue’s arms and legs appear to be missing and there is empty space where they once were. What looks to be a marble tree stalk on the right side of the figure, and a steel rod connected to the pedestal holds up the scene in its entirety.

A black/gray/white photograph of the backside of a marble statue with arms missing. The statue appears to be in museum space, as a vase in a glass case and a bullheaded statue on a pedestal frame the view of the figure’s smoothly supple rear. The figure's hair appears to be braided against the head, and there are some cracks throughout the marble body.

A black/gray/white photograph of a nude masculine subject leaning forward with a twist, posing seated in a chair atop a dining room table. The scene appears to be in a kitchen as there is a sink and dish rack to the right of the subject. The mirror above the sink reflects a shadowed frontal view of the subject.

A color cibachrome image of three distinct figures. A blue figure with detailed eyes looking upwards emerges from the left corner engaged in fellacio with a red silhouetted figure. There is a shadowy silhouetted figure facing towards them, to the right whose arms are held above the scene, below the arms are orange featherlike lines.

A color cibachrome image of a dilapidated room inside of one of the Chelsea pier warehouses with wall size murals. On the right side of the image are windows with an abstract orange, yellow, and brown painting between them with benches below. To the left is an image of a cartoon bovine with a bright red tongue sticking out, with a round circle above and red crosses throughout. There is a door in the far left corner of the room.

A film photo of a dilapidated room inside one of the Chelsea pier warehouses from the 80s. The floor is littered with debris. Pieces of the ceiling have been knocked out allowing pockets of sunlight to illuminate the cool, grey room. A lone figure stands in the middle of the room with a ghostly, white sheet draped over them.

An image of large red lettering that reads “D.D.F. DYING DISEASED FAGGOT” and small red letters in an alternate font that reads “Your language is important”. The text is layered upon the textured surface of a handmade paper that looks to contain hairlike bodily fragments.

A brightly colored image of a digitized bedroom with various well known AIDS related art works and bold yellow text that reads “YOUR NOSTALGIA IS KILLING ME!”. The left wall of the room where the text is, uses a repeated image of General Idea’s, AIDS, 1987 which appears to be a kind of wallpapering, the right side is covered with Keith Haring's black and white figurative illustrations. Layered on top of the familiar wallpaper are various well-known posters and artworks from the 80s movement.

A video still shows a nude, femme person framed from the waist up standing in a dark tunnel. With a blank expression on their face, they hold up the stems from recently consumed fruit in order to cover their eyes. Two hands extend from people beyond the camera frame, each holding a fruit stem that covers the nipples of the femme person.

A black/gray/white photorealistic drawing of a dainty yet, masculine figure wearing a lace bra, sheer panties and white wedge sandals on a woven bed cover. The figure is only visible from the torso down, obscuring the head from the viewer. Sitting with legs crossed and the left arm up we are able to view underarm, chest, and leg hair.

A black/grey/white photorealistic drawing of a seated young man in a plaid button up with a penis exposed through unzipped pants. The top portion of the man’s face is cut off with only the nose and slightly agape mouth visible. To his left there is a side table with a telephone, a book and the bottom of a lamp.

An installation view that focuses on a projection of the artist against a black wall. Teiji is fully nude with his arms outstretched and head raised up. Two orange graft lines are imposed over his body to create a cross

An installation view that encompases four components of the exhibit. Three projections of Teiji’s fully nude self are visible, one with his arms outstretched and the others with arms embracing himself, a frontal and rear view. Orange graft lines are imposed over his body to create a cross on the projection with outstretched arms. In the center is a shelved tower that holds the projectors for the installation.

A brightly colored video still of large white text that reads “OPTIMO”, with biomedical images collaged in the background. The images appear to be both digital renderings and photographs of microbial bodies and other forms used for medical diagnosis.

A collage of several, digital images. The most prominent image is a close-up of a human eye to which dark eyeliner is being applied. The words "VIRUS" and "POSITIVE" appear in neon green and red, though "POSITIVE" has been cropped at the ends, distorting the word. The other images include a blurred close up of a face with make-up, a tick crawling on human skin, and an assortment of abstract, bodily/organic images

featured gallery for October 2021

The impossibility to make a thing remain still

**Update 11/9: Through the end of November view a special screening of "God Has AIDS" by Gustavo Vinagre and Fábio Leal. Scroll to the end of the gallery to watch.

"The impossibility to make a thing remain still", is proposed as a depository of thoughts and feelings. It is not intended to be objective or to make a solid statement, I am a player, playing the role of a selector, looking for pieces of myself reflected in the works of others. I am not talking here about a solid discourse but about a puzzle in constant movement. Each piece is matched with another, or they are related through a failure of correspondence. I am drawing a blurry landscape of time and actions. I want this to be personal, an invitation to be part of the game, to be a player, an observer, to take this as an opportunity to question yourself, to judge, to approve, to like or dislike the art of others and to overall recognize yourself as a thing in motion.

"The impossibility to make a thing remain still", reflects on movement and change and on how we as artists contribute to spinning the wheel that keeps the universe in motion through our practice, regardless of life and death, challenges, success or failure. Through the work of these artists, I speculate on them and encounter questions: Is their work some kind of evidence of an unfinished picture? Where did they go after the work was done? Where are they now? In which stage of reality are they moving? Do we understand them clearly? Where will our minds go after learning about them? Will we still be the same? I dare to say: I hope not.

The October’s web gallery is a proposal in expansion, it requires to be ignited by the meeting of minds and ideas. To keep it moving, I am inviting you to share both your views and feelings about a specific work, artist or the entire gallery. Feel free to send me an email with what you think should be added and I will update it here, during the month. I intend to start the conversation by saying that putting together this online exhibition has been a way to understand myself as an HIV+ human, recently diagnosed in 2021. This collection of works questions my new position in the world.

I am honored to share the following selection of works that will challenge ideas and positions surrounding movement and stillness, through the works of Szymon Adamczak, Hunter Reynolds, Kissa Millar, Vasilios Papapitsios, Eric Rhein, Paul Thek, Santiago Lemus, Benjamin Fredrickson, Michael Harwood, Marisela La Grave, Charles Ryan Long, Vincent Chevalier, Dudu Quintanilha, Scott Hunt, Teiji Furuhashi, and Camilo Huntertexas.
We will find in their works solid pieces that once combined together invite us to perform ourselves as political bodies in movement.

I encourage that you look up more of Szymon Adamczak's "An Ongoing Song" work in a Google folder he set up for us: shorturl.at/dBJQX

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Juan Betancurth

betancurth@gmail.com

God has AIDS, 2021
Directed by Gustavo Vinagre, Fábio Leal
(11/9 special addition to the web gallery courtesy Gustavo Vinagre)

Password: HIVHS

Forty years after the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, seven artists and an activist doctor, all of them living with HIV, share new perspectives on serophobia, racism in gay circles, ignorance, and the invisibility of women with HIV/AIDS in Brazil. They manage to challenge hate and discrimination through a range of different mediums, empowering HIV positive people and giving a better sense of their bodies and mortality.

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Gustavo Vinagre graduated in Arts from University of Sao Paulo. Graduated in screenplay writing at International School of Film and TV,Cuba. Among the films he directed are "New Dubai" (2014), "I Remember More of the Crows" (2018), "The Blue Rose of Novalis" (2019), "Vil,má" (2020), "Unlearning to Sleep” (2021). Fábio Leal is a director, screenwriter and actor. Directed the short films "O Porteiro do Dia" (2016) and "Reforma" (2018). He is currently developing his first fiction feature, "O Vale dos Homossexuals".

Curator

Juan Betancurth

Juan Betancurth is a Colombian born artist and curator. Betancurth is especially interested in themes of mysticism, power, and submission, in particular as they relate to his personal experiences. To explore these ideas, Betancurth crafts meticulous, immersive installations, filled with sculptures and props that set the stage for his intimate performances of witchcraft, daily routines, poetry, and religious rituals. As personal and ambiguous as many of his works are, Betancurth hopes that they encourage creativity in each viewer, creating a fleeting moment and space for community. About his curatorial practice he is interested in creating possibilities for open thoughts and interactions. Betancurth sees his curatorial role as a performer, playing with pieces from a discourse in expansion. His work has been shown internationally in countries like the USA, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Germany, Finland, North Korea, among others.

featured gallery for October 2021

The impossibility to make a thing remain still

**Update 11/9: Through the end of November view a special screening of "God Has AIDS" by Gustavo Vinagre and Fábio Leal. Scroll to the end of the gallery to watch.

Featured Artists

Szymon Adamczak

Hunter Reynolds

Kissa Millar

Vasilios Papapitsios

Eric Rhein

Paul Thek

Santiago Lemus

Benjamin Fredrickson

Michael Harwood

Marisela La Grave

Charles Ryan Long

Vincent Chevalier

Dudu Quintanilha

Scott Hunt

Teiji Furuhashi

Camilo Huntertexas

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Curator

Juan Betancurth

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