Maria Lotuffo

"In my work as an artist and a disability rights activist, I've spent many years thinking about the human body/mind and all the things that can happen within it or to it. The text in this broadside reflects notions of human fears. The image of the face is from a self-portrait I made when I was 18 years old, the year my first friend died of AIDS. His name was Bob. He got a cold and was dead three weeks later. It was not even called AIDS back then, it was called GRID (gay-related immune deficiency). My expression reflects stoic resolve in the face of an unknown future, eyes wide open, ready to bare witness. The vulva, ever present in my consciousness as a dyke, is from a medical text on the genitalia of homosexual women. I've removed it from its sterile, clinical context and placed it beside my face as a source of comfort and beauty. The warmth of my sexuality and my friendships within the queer community have nourished me throughout these years of the AIDS pandemic. My wish is that other people have had this experience as well, gaining a deep understanding for the importance of loving the human body with respect and seeing the suffering of all people as being equal."

Kate Huh is a NYC based artist/activist. She has exhibited her visual art and films throughout the United States and Europe since 1982.