Through Positive Eyes
A global photographic collaboration with HIV-positive individuals around the world, award-winning photographer Gideon Mendel, and the UCLA Art & Global Health Center.
A global photographic collaboration with HIV-positive individuals around the world, award-winning photographer Gideon Mendel, and the UCLA Art & Global Health Center.
Through Positive Eyes [ThroughPositiveEyes.org] tells the story of HIV/AIDS at the end of the third decade of the epidemic, when potent antiretroviral medication has been devised, but when treatment access is far from universal. Through Positive Eyes is an attempt to address key themes of the AIDS epidemic: widespread stigma, extreme social inequality, and limited access to lifesaving medication. The project is based on the belief that challenging stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS is the most effective method for combating the epidemic—and that art is a powerful way to do this. HIV-positive people take part in this unique initiative, creating powerful personal photo essays. From these images, we create local and international advocacy materials including exhibitions, short films, and website. Read more about Through Positive Eyes at artglobalhealth.org/ThroughPositiveEyes.
View a selection of the stories from around the world: