During this pride month, Tees Zine Works is highlighting the works of influential queer artists. Keith Haring’s work and life are a beautiful example of the power of making art accessible, and the link between politics, art and identity.
Keith Haring was a New York based artist during the late 1970s to 1980s. An advocate of public art, his earliest work was exhibited on posters and in ‘graffiti’ on the streets of New York.
Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988, and tragically passed away two years later at the young age of 31, but in the time between diagnosis and the end of his life, he was a prolific AIDS activist, working closely with organisations such as ACT UP and starting the Keith Haring Foundation to provide funding for AIDS organisations and to licence his own work for use after his death.
Haring was also an activist for other causes, producing poster work for the anti-Apartheid movement, which were distributed for free to attendees of a rally to free South Africa, and anti-nuclear posters which he distributed in the same way.
To this day his work resonates, and his visual influence is seen all around. The Keith Haring Foundation licences his works for merchandise, with profits going towards their work supporting not-for-profit organizations that assist children, as well as organizations involved in education, prevention, and care related to AIDS.
Queer art and artists are a key focus in our activities, especially our LGBTQ+ youth group which provides support and community for vulnerable queer youth. If you’d like to know more, please visit our website.
Happy Pride Month!
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