18” x 24” acrylic on canvas. Canvas is 100% cotton duck with an acrylic titanium triple primer.

What’s the story behind this painting?

I was born in the late 80s. It’s kind of weird to say this but I’ve never known a world without HIV/AIDS. As a child I was very confused about the illness. It left me wondering who could get it and how it was transmitted from person to person. It was a taboo subject in our household, and so many questions were left unanswered. I think the biggest shocker was finding out that LA Laker Magic Johnson had contracted this life threatening virus. I think the people around me were surprised that he had it—it sort of defied their presuppositions of who could be afflicted by the disease. It’s these very beliefs that are far too often projected onto a child, and then he or she subsequently grows up with prejudices and false impressions of their own. In retrospect, I think the fear and pandemonium concerning the illness impaired people’s rational thinking. I don’t think anyone expected a superstar basketball player to be infected.