The Street Artist And Aids Activist Who Changed The World | Keith Haring

welcome back today we'll be delving into the life work and Legacy of one of the most iconic and influential artists of the 20th century Keith Herring Keith Herring was born on May 4th 1958 in Reading Pennsylvania from an early age Herron showed an interest in art and was encouraged by his parents both of whom were artists themselves in his teens Heron became involved in the burgeoning punk scene in New York City which was heavily influenced by the DIY ethos and the rebellious Spirit of graffiti and street art Heron was a student at the ivy School of Professional art in Pittsburgh when he began to develop his own style of drawing and painting inspired by Punk aesthetic of his teenage years Heron moved to New York City in 1978 to attend the School of Visual Arts with fellow artists Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat and he began to make name for himself as an artist during this time Herring became a part of the vibrant and energetic art scene in downtown Manhattan in 1981 Herring began drawing with chalk in the subway system of New York City which were a pivotal moment in the development of his career as an artist and continued to be celebrated as a key moment in the history of Street heart herring's now famous project of creating quick chalk drawings in subway stations and trains of New York City were often created on the black advertising spaces covered in black paper called blackouts as well as directly on empty train stations and walls but why were these chalk drawings so important and groundbreaking for one they represented a unique and unexpected way that an artist could reach a larger audience unlike art spaces like Galleries and museums the subway system was a place where people of all walks of life could encounter herring's ephemeral chalk drawings moreover Herring Subway drawings were not simply eye-catching but also served as a powerful sociopolitical statements in many cases Herring Drew images that address controversial issues Inc including nuclear war crack cocaine drug abuse AIDS and the neglect towards the poor and the marginalized people of society by using art to bring social and political issues to the attention of the public Herring was able to make a powerful statement that was accessible to people from all walks of life in many ways herring's autistic approach to Graffiti and street art was a reflection of his beliefs that art should be accessible to everyone not just the elite Herring believed that art was a medium that could educate Inspire and empower the public and his Subway drawings were a prime example of his philosophy in action although the subway drawings were temporary and subject to cleaning hundreds have been cataloged and documented over the years and many are part of Museum Collections and international exhibitions Herring Subway art helped pave the way for a new era of public art inspiring and influencing a generation of Street artists and muralists that followed making him an emblematic figure of the 80s New York Street Scene It was in this context that Heron began to develop his iconic style which was characterized by bold simple lines and bright bold colors he began to create large-scale murals and paintings many of which were inspired by the energy and vibrancy of the city around him he created large outdoor mirrors eventually executing them in Rio de Janeiro Berlin Melbourne Chicago Atlanta and elsewhere between 1978 and 1982 Herring established himself as a respected Rebel artist of the street an alternative indoor spaces outside the elite New York art World eventually he accepted representation from Tony shafrasi in 1982 he had his first solo Exhibition at the Tony Chef razi Gallery in New York which featured some of his most famous works such as radiant baby barking dog and three-eyed Face herring's Art was more than just visually stunning it also often tackled social and political themes such as racism homophobia political oppression and the AIDS epidemic Heron was himself gay and his work frequently expressed his frustration with the marginalization of lgbtq plus communities an example is free South Africa one of Keith herring's works created in 1985 in response to the political turmoil of apartheid in South Africa so our work features a bold pack of spray-painted silhouette of a human figure but they are captured with a rope around their neck with a smaller white figure holding the other end of the Rope the artwork free South Africa shows the enduring influence that the desire for political Freedom had on herring's work the artwork serves as a powerful visual commentary on the struggle for Freedom during apartheid in South Africa the chain neck can be seen as a metaphor for the oppression of black people in South Africa under apartheid herring's use of bold graphic shapes and black paint emphasizes the urgency of his message reflecting both the violence and the struggle for social justice inherent in the situation the freestanding figure evokes feelings of Courage strength and unity that are needed for a successful Revolution this work remains a poignant symbol for the struggle for Freedom Revolution and social justice in South Africa and Beyond herring's use of bold imagery simple shapes and sharp contrasts serve to focus on the brutality and inhumanity of Oppression while encouraging the viewer to feel inspired and to take action during this period is in which where he developed a friendship with Andy Warhol as with Basquiat this friendship added to herring's prestige and to the gradual grudging acceptance of his work by the elite Fine Art establishment in 1986 Herring opened a store called the pop shop in New York City where he marketed products that ranged from t-shirts and pin on buttons to original prints he decorated the interior with his many black and white style Doodles filled every corner of the retail space he also opened a Tokyo branch of the shop in 1988. Herring was also deeply involved in activism and used his art as a means of raising awareness about important social and political issues he was a strong advocate for the fight against AIDS which he himself was diagnosed with in 1988. ignorance equals fear silence equals Death is one of Keith herring's most iconic artworks the artwork features a simple but powerful design that consists of block letters forming the phrase ignorance equals fear on the top of the artwork and silence equals Death on the bottom with three figures in the middle this artwork was Heron linking three individuals who are of an identifiable race and gender representing people inflicted with AIDS the three characters are marked with a pink X across their chest symbolizing AIDS patience and are covering their ears mouths and eyes these characters are in a place of discomfort and are too afraid to stand up and say something because they fear being ridiculed put down or seen as guilty by Society due to the stigmas that went along with AIDS herring's work forces viewers to realize the struggles that these marginalized people silently go through and he feels that something needs to change in order to relive the groups suffering in society this piece carries a clear message ignorance and Silence about AIDS can lead to fear and death powerful as they reflect the Urgent solemn message that the artwork conveys the phrases ignorance equals fear and silence equals Death are displayed in simple ambiguous terms signaling the importance of breaking the stereotypes and the stigmas associated with AIDS crisis at the time the equal sign in the artwork links the two parts of the phrases emphasizing that they are interconnected this suggests that without education and discussion fear becomes the default reaction to the situation leading to stigmatized behavior and the avoidance of topic herring's permanent role as an artist activist she sees the opportunity to stand up and speak out against the societal oppression and discrimination that surrounded the AIDS crisis the artwork's directness reflect the urgency and importance of the message and continue to be a powerful tool used by the activists today within the fight for social justice herring's work continues to inspire new generations of artists and activists to use their craft as a means of a social commentary and political activism his legacy lives on today with the Keith Herring Foundation which was established shortly after his death in 1990 at the age of 31 and remains dedicated to supporting AIDS research and raising awareness about the social issues that Heron was passionate about and that concludes our look into the life and work of Keith Herring his contributions to the world of Art and his unwavering commitment to social and political activism will always be remembered please let me know in the comments below what you thought about Keith Herring and his work and don't forget to subscribe and hit the Bell icon for more videos like this see you on the next one

Channel: Laurs Mars

Views: 1,298

Keywords: artist, art, who was Keith Haring, when was Keith Haring, what was Keith Haring, paintings, the self, the female gaze, artists, artist profile, laurs mars, art and design, Keith Haring, male artist, LGBTQIA, LGBTQ artist, pride artist, activist, activism art, LGBTQ art, pride month, pride art, Andy warhol, Pop art, Jean Michel Basquiat, New york, New York art, mural, mural art, graffiti, graffiti art, Keith Haring Graffiti, gay artist, aids, aids activist, aids art

Id: sAKeMGjy57I

Length: 9min 14sec (554 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 16 2023