Untitled (a lie is not a shelter), 1989
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Object Details
- Date
- 1989
- Created by
- Lorna Simpson, American, born 1960
- Caption
- A pioneer in conceptual photography and film, Lorna Simpson is best known for her large-scale photographic images of women, accompanied by enigmatic words and phrases. The subjects of her works often reference societal issues such as identity, gender, discrimination, and race. In the case of Untitled (a lie is not a shelter), Simpson engages all of the above.
- Created for the Art Against AIDS project in 1989, Untitled speaks to the lack of information, prevention, and treatment of HIV and AIDS among Black women and women of color during an era when it was primarily recognized and treated as a disease that afflicted gay white males.
- Description
- Black-and-white photograph of the torso of an African American woman in a light colored short sleeve shirt standing with her arms crossed and text dispersed across her clothing. The text reads, "a lie is not a shelter / discrimination is not protection / isolation is not a remedy / a promise is not a prophylactic."
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Health
- LGBTQ
- Photography
- Sexuality
- U.S. History, 1969-2001
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Billy E. Hodges
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2009.2
- Type
- gelatin silver prints
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Lorna Simpson. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
- Medium
- silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
- Dimensions
- H x W: 59 x 48 x 1 1/8 in. (149.9 x 121.9 x 2.9 cm)
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
- Record ID
- nmaahc_2009.2