David Wojnarowicz

David Wojnarowicz was a multifaceted American artist with a body of work that spanned photography, painting, music, film, sculpture, writing and activism. Largely self-taught, Wojnarowicz’s work was deeply intertwined, addressing themes of identity, mortality and social justice in contemporary American society.

Born in 1954 in Red Bank, New Jersey, Wojnarowicz endured a troubled childhood marked by abuse and homelessness. He moved to New York City in the late 1970s, where he became a central figure in the burgeoning East Village art scene. His work often incorporated found objects and collage, blending personal experience with broader social commentary.

Wojnarowicz’s photography is especially renowned for its raw, unflinching portrayal of urban life and marginalised communities. One of his most iconic series, Arthur Rimbaud in New York, featured the artist’s friends wearing a mask of the 19th-century French poet in various city settings, exploring themes of alienation and identity. As a painter, Wojnarowicz created vivid, symbolically rich works. His paintings often combined text and imagery to address issues such as politics, sexuality and the AIDS crisis.

Wojnarowicz’s relationship with photographer Peter Hujar significantly influenced his art. Hujar, who died of AIDS in 1987, was both a mentor and lover to Wojnarowicz. This profound loss fuelled much of Wojnarowicz’s later work, including the unfinished film A Fire in My Belly, which poignantly reflects his grief and rage.

AIDS activism was central to Wojnarowicz’s life and work. He was a vocal member of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), using his art to confront the stigma and neglect surrounding the AIDS epidemic until his death from the disease in 1992. Wojnarowicz exhibited widely during his lifetime. His works can be found in collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Tate, London and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.