Saturday, February 5, 2011

HIV Positive Artist Uses Art as Therapy


San Francisco artist Daniel Goldstein, HIV positive, started using sculpture as a therapeutic activity. His partner died of AIDS in the 1980s, and he subsequently had to watch most of his friends succumb to the disease. When he realized that he also would be affected by the disease, he decided to start making sculptures, not only because he had always wanted to, but also as a way to remember his friends who had died. The picture on the left, "Medicine Man," is composed of empty pill bottles that contained Goldstein's antiretroviral medicines. He has also created a number of other sculptures, such as one made of syringes.
Daniel's works are sometimes referred to as "ghosts," because they are hanging pieces which can slightly resemble human forms. His works have been displayed in a variety of places, from a bay area BART station to the International AIDS conference.

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