Red Reminds Me of Solitude
Was solitude always this red? Like a bitter melody echoing through the streets of Berlin, the exhibition “Red Reminds Me of Solitude” whispers to us on World AIDS Dayii of the solidarity that sprouts from the darkness of loss and the reborn light of hope.
Organized by instinct.berlin to honor World AIDS Day in the colorful atmosphere of Berlin, the multidisciplinary exhibition “Red Reminds Me of Solitude” in the community space we are village reinterprets the solitude of living with HIV as both a wound and a space of solidarity. Led by queer artists, writers and filmmakers, the exhibition welcomes us with a symphony of solitude – making audible a voice in the void through a mosaic narrative.
From the screaming originality of Mykki Blanco to the cinematographic sensibility of Matt Lambert, this collective includes Annie Leibovitz’s 1992 portrait immortalizing Alf Bold, an iconic figure in Berlin’s film world. Alf Bold’s life and death are complemented by the gaze of his friend Nan Goldin; for us, this is more than a portrait – it is a love letter, a farewell.
One of the most striking stops of the exhibition is Mykki Blanco’s short film “I Want A Dyke For President”. Bringing Zoe Leonard’s haunting text to life with a courageous performance, the film draws its power from both its historical anger and its poignancy, still fresh in today’s context: “I want a president who has AIDS, I want a president who has no health insurance, I want a president who lost his last lover to AIDS…” Leonard’s lines are distributed to visitors throughout the exhibition as a reminder of the pain and struggle underlying the text.
To emphasize, “Red Reminds Me of Solitude” is not only a space for the expression of pain and loss, but also a gathering point for healing, connection and reconstruction. The program includes meditation, screenings of unforgettable works of cinema history such as Derek Jarman’s “Blue”, panel discussions, performances and artist talks. Each event is designed to open a small window into a room filled with loneliness, or to let in a ray of hope.
“Red Reminds Me of Solitude,” tells us of a call that resonates in the red of solitude; of bonds that grow in the embrace of loss, of healing that sprouts from wounds, and of a light that shines through the darkness… In the heart of Berlin, this exhibition, which turns silence into a symphony, is a warm invitation to anyone who wants to turn solitude into love, solidarity and the courage to start again.