if they were alive today
if they were alive today… is a piece by fierce pussy, a collective of queer women artists formed in 1991. Working out of New York City during the height of the AIDS crisis and political mobilization around gay rights, they brought lesbian identity and visibility to the city. if they were alive today… is part of a bigger project, For The Record, for Visual AIDS an organization that “utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving a legacy, because AIDS is not over.” (source)
For The Record is a series of newsprints, posters, stickers, and postcards (all are downloadable from Visual Aids). fierce pussy explores aspects of daily life while living with HIV/AIDS but also as a person existing in the world. It asks the viewer/reader to take their own memories and consider their relationship with the AIDS crisis. For The Record mourns the loss of family, friends, lovers, artists, and activists by the repetition of “If He/She/They were still alive…” while simultaneously creates commentary about the erasure of memories through the loss of loved ones.
