Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February
16, 1990) was an American artist and social activist whose work responded to
the New York City street culture of the 1980s by expressing concepts of birth,
death, sexuality, and war. Haring's work was often heavily political and
his imagery has become a widely recognised visual language of the 20th century.
Anti-nuclear poster
Free South Africa Poster
AIDS
The theme of AIDS permeates Haring's late
work, most likely because it had a heavy influence on his personal life. Midway
through Haring's journals there is mention of the disease claiming his friends'
lives, and later passages show Haring worrying increasingly about his own HIV status.
For Haring, the fear was based in watching his friends die, not in his own
fragility. On March 20, 1987, Haring wrote, "I'm scared of having to watch
more people die in front of me...I refuse to die like that. If the time comes,
I think suicide is much more dignified and much easier on friends and loved
ones. Nobody deserves to watch this kind of slow death."[14] Haring
avoided diagnosis for many years, but he felt it coming even then, and the
impending diagnosis drove his work. "The odds are very great and, in fact,
the symptoms already exist," he wrote in 1987. "I know in my heart
that is only divine intervention that has kept me alive this long. I don't know
if I have five months or five years, but I know my days are numbered. This is why
my activities and projects are so important now. To do as much as possible as
quickly as possible."
Within this book there are many posters that address social issues. Harring expressed his views on social issues even at the start of his career. The majority of Keith Harings posters were designed not for exhibitions, but for cultral events. The subjects are wide ranging, from dance, literature and book events. These themes reflect his personal interests, which is certainly a factor contributing to the generally high quality of this group of posters. It illustrates how he matches the advertising message to his topic and the relevant target audience.
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