Interpretation
The Sex Series emerged from an overwhelming sense of loss—of loved ones, of privacy, of emotional and physical stability—that the artist experienced during the AIDS crisis. In these photomontages, Wojnarowicz printed negative images of otherwise ordinary built environments, overlaid them with text, and superimposed circular peepholes—simultaneously microscopic and surveillant—that afford glimpses of intimate
scenes, such as pornographic vignettes and a fetus in utero. With tonal inversions that lend a menacing glow, the Sex Series captures the marginalization of homosexuality in American culture and makes tangible the devastation wrought by AIDS.
scenes, such as pornographic vignettes and a fetus in utero. With tonal inversions that lend a menacing glow, the Sex Series captures the marginalization of homosexuality in American culture and makes tangible the devastation wrought by AIDS.
Information
- Title
- Untitled, from the Sex Series
- Object Number
- x1990-75
- Maker
- David Wojnarowicz
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dates
- 1989
- Dimensions
- image: 37.6 x 45.2 cm (14 13/16 x 17 13/16 in.) sheet: 40.2 x 50.5 cm (15 13/16 x 19 7/8 in.)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase, anonymous gift
- Culture
- American
- Place made
- North America, United States
- Inscriptions
- Verso of print, titled, dated and signed, in pencil: SEX SERIES 6/12 David Wojnarowicz 1989
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