work that the lower edge of the painting cuts off their feet, thereby
trapping the viewer in the painting’s compressed space. Golub em-
phasized both the scarred light tones of the white mercenary’s skin
and the weapons. Modeled with shadow and gleaming highlights,
the guns contrast with the harshly scraped, flattened surfaces of the
figures. The rawness of the canvas reinforces the rawness of the im-
agery. Golub often dissolved certain areas with solvent after applying
pigment and scraped off applied paint with, among other tools, a
meat cleaver. The feeling of peril confronts viewers mercilessly. They
become one with all the victims caught in today’s political battles.
DAVID WOJNAROWICZ As a gay activist and as someone
who had lost many friends to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency
syndrome),David Wojnarowicz(1955–1992) created disturbing
yet eloquent works about the tragedy of this disease. (Wojnarowicz
himself died of AIDS.) In “When I put my hands on your body”(FIG.
36-48), he overlaid a photograph of a pile of skeletal remains with
evenly spaced typed commentary that communicated his feelings
about watching a loved one dying of AIDS. Wojnarowicz movingly
described the effects of AIDS on the human body and soul. He jux-
taposed text with imagery, which, like the works of Barbara Kruger
(FIG. 36-36) and Lorna Simpson (FIG. 36-42), paralleled the use of
both words and images in advertising. The public’s familiarity with
this format ensured greater receptivity to the artist’s message.
KRZYSZTOF WODICZKO When working in Canada in
1980, Polish-born artist Krzysztof Wodiczko(b. 1943) developed
artworks involving outdoor slide images. He projected photographs
on specific buildings to expose how civic buildings embody, legit-
imize, and perpetuate power. When Wodiczko moved to New York
City in 1983, the pervasive homelessness troubled him, and he re-
solved to use his art to publicize this problem. In 1987 he produced
The Homeless Projection (FIG. 36-49) as part of a New Year’s cele-
bration in Boston. The artist projected images of homeless people
on all four sides of the Soldiers and Sailors Civil War Memorial on
the Boston Common. In these photos, plastic bags filled with their
few possessions flanked the people depicted. At the top of the mon-
ument, Wodiczko projected a local condominium construction site,
which helped viewers make a connection between urban develop-
ment and homelessness.
36-48David Wojnarowicz,“When I put
my hands on your body,”1990. Gelatin-silver
print and silk-screened text on museum
board, 2 2 3 2 . Private collection.
In this disturbing yet eloquent print,
Wojnarowicz overlaid typed commentary
on a photograph of skeletal remains. He
movingly communicated his feelings about
watching a loved one die of AIDS.36-49Krzysztof Wodiczko,The Homeless Projection,1986.
Outdoor slide projection at the Soldiers and Sailors Civil War Memorial,
Boston.
To publicize their plight, Wodiczko projected on the walls of a monu-
ment on the Boston Common images of homeless people and their
plastic bags filled with their few possessions.Painting and Sculpture since 1970 9991 ft.