Untitled (One Day This Kid...),
1990-91

A prominent figure of the East Village art scene in New York during the 1980s, David Wojnarowicz produced paintings, photographs, installations, performances, and experimental films that fused the aesthetics of the punk-music scene and street culture with a personal, political activism. Distinguished by raw expressions of rage and personal longing, much of his work expresses concerns with the inequalities and disenfranchisement of people living with HIV and AIDS. Toward the end of his life, Wojnarowicz turned to writing, photography, and performance. Exemplifying this period is Untitled, in which a picture of the artist as a child is surrounded by a fierce written critique of American political and social systems that sustain a cultural homophobia.