The Destruction of Stigma
Peter Lawrence
The artwork is separated into two halves. The lower half is the darker, gloomier side of the piece in which the human figure is entombed in a stone statue. This stone statue represents what the stigma behind being diagnosed with HIV affected this particular individual. He told us how he felt trapped inside this barrier and that he did not want to express or expand himself anymore through fear of being judged. This tag of being ‘HIV Positive’ to him, was like a massive sign screaming out to everyone who saw him that he was dangerous and a liability, even though HIV does not present any visible symptoms which random members of the public could spot.
However, the man went on to explain that as time progressed, he began to come to terms with his illness, and the fact that there had been no evidence that people were treating him differently on first impressions, or even when they found out that he was HIV positive. Of course, he observed, there were the odd few who later totally distanced themselves from him. However, he learned how to cope and ignore these individuals.
He explained that once he had come to terms with his illness, that it was like ‘a great weight off his back’; which had been present for over three years. He said he felt rejuvenated, almost a new person once he was able to talk openly about his experiences and illness.
This weight, both physically and mentally, I have tried to portray with the heavy dark stone, meanwhile the bright and warm colours in the top of the piece represent the happiness and optimism breaking through to reveal the man’s human body underneath.
The top half of the image shows the human figure breaking out of the stone statue and overcoming the boundaries of the HIV diagnosis. He said, that the fact that he had overcome the stigma so successfully now enabled him to openly state, in front of 250 complete strangers, that he was homosexual and had been diagnosed with HIV in one of our first lectures.
I can clearly see parallels here with the stigma and self stigma associated with psychiatric illness. Thank you
I find that this piece clearly describes stigma and the feeling of being freed from these constraints when one comes to terms with their illness.
I think this piece is an interesting analysis of the stigma around a HIV diagnosis. The damage and debris coming from the ‘statue’ at the bottom is a reminder that HIV positive people have to fight against the stigma, both externally and internally. It’s a constant battle to accept reality without judgement. The violence of the broken statue represents how ingrained the stigma around HIV is in our society. The use of colour is very powerful as a depressive person is likely to have a monochrome outlook on life, and the warm colours that come through remind me of the sun which we all need to survive.