im pleased to say " Viral Load " sold at Christies to a private buyer raising a lot of money for the Terrence Higgins Trust. There has been a lot of publicity about the piece which is all good. However as always with the Media some quotes have been taken out of context. Which saddens me. No one is to blame for a virus and no one should face discrimination, blame or stigma. We are all accountable for our own actions and the consequences that become us. "|Viral load" was originally created to visualise the virus and the pain caused by contracting it. It was NEVER intended to " Get back at " or hurt anyone. " a voodoo doll can also be used for good in your own life or in the lives of others: for love, healing, protection, success" Kind Regards The Artist Mr Paul David Chisholm
You are quite the subversive lad! Quite the provocateur. I was most impressed with your piece Viral Load. As a sculptor myself, I relate best to 3-D form. This is a powerful piece – odd, though, that the excellent accompanying commentary doesn’t mention black as the colour of death. This penis is in part undoubtedly a powerful a statement precisely because it uses black. The HIV crisis was called the “Plague” in my day with its obvious reference to the Black Death/Plague. Is this curator so afraid of not being politically correct he dare not reference black’s symbolic association lest it impute black men’s penises, too? Possibly. Certainly, he views the relevance of the red colour chosen for the pins on the glans as worthy of comment and that they signify ‘Danger” [i.e. HIV virus in the ejaculate] Neither does he reference that this penis is erect. The fact that only in its erect state can the penis be an HIV vector is an important feature . The tumescence is relevant. – ready for action/loaded, so to speak. Flaccid, a penis is not a threat for infection. Bruce Flowers Curator Art Critic 2017
Links To Press
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/606939/World-most-painful-dildo-sex-toy-charity-auction-HIV-positive
http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/20/this-pin-studded-dildo-could-be-the-worlds-most-painful-sex-toy-6585744/
