Contemporary art tells 40 years of HIV

It will feature the works of 5 young talents selected through the competition Call4Artists the story of 40 years of HIV – of which 1 December will be World Day – as part of the project Together we can stop the virus.

Promoted by Gilead, pharmaceutical company engaged in the fight against HIV for over 30 years, the art competition offered, among other prizes, a Artistic Residence that is a technical, theoretical and practical training on the language of augmented reality, with a focus in the artistic field, as well as training on contemporary art and the scientific context of HIV.
A small creative laboratory where the selected artists have made ideas flourish by uniting even very distant worlds. The challenge launched them was to tell about 40 years of HIV with their own sensitivity and their own stylistic code, letting themselves be guided in this path by the suggestions of the Patient Associations, by the case studies on the artists who, starting from the 90s, were the first to tell about HIV, when HIV was a taboo, when HIV was really scary, when people died prematurely from HIV.

“The project Together we can stop the virus it was an opportunity to put contemporary art in contact with such an important theme. Art, not using words but only images, has the power to directly affect people’s emotions by transmitting very profound messages. Artistic projects of this type certainly have a future and the ability to make the world better in some way “, commented Ilaria Bonacossa, director of Artissima first Contemporary Art Fair and artistic curator of the project.

Who are the 5 winners selected by Call4Artists

Selected from over 40 applications received by a jury made up of industry experts and patient associations, the young talents will contribute to create, with their work, the first permanent exhibition on HIV that every year will be enriched with new artistic contributions. Here’s who I am:

Lisa Pizzato born in 1996, graphic designer, illustrator, with a particular focus on animation and Augmented Reality. Among others he has collaborated with BASE Milano (ARDA), Lago Film Fest (I Laghi Aumentati).

Giulia Tolino born in 1983, he worked in the field of video games, then dedicating himself to animation. In 2019 he collaborated with the Sardinian director Medas on the making of two short films.

Marco D’Ambrosio alias Adam Tempesta illustrator and graphic designer, has published two graphic novels, has worked for The Corriere della Sera, Menelique Mummu London, Vogue Italy and has been included in the exhibition and catalog on urban art MAUA – Turin.

The duo Cheer Bulgaria composed by Arianna Di Betta and Cecilia Piazza born in 1990 and 1988. Both visionary graphic designers from Bologna.

Raffaele Leaverrea born in 1982, for the Brera Academy of Fine Arts he created a multimedia platform that investigates the relationship between art and technique, he participated with illustrations in three editions of the collective exhibition TaukayEdizioniMusicali and for the Movie & Co competition he made a 3D animated short film.

«Together we can stop the virus wants to reach the general public but above all the new generations who have not lived through the darkest period in the history of HIV “, need Cristina Le Grazie, Medical Director of Gilead Italy. «Often young people are not aware of the risks because they think that this kind of virus is very far from them. This is why we wanted young people to tell these 40 years of HIV through art “.

The Gilead Italia project has the patronage of 10 patient associations active at national level that have been working on the project for two years: Anlaids Onlus, ALA Milano Onlus, Arcobaleno ODV, ASA Onlus, Circolo Mario Mieli, LILA Italian League for the fight against AIDS, Milan Check Point, NPS Italia Onlus, Nadir Onlus, PLUS.