Standing strong with More to Me than HIV

More to Me than HIV is a grassroots community art initiative that aims to normalise people living with HIV through portraiture.

We have nearly 30 people who have shown their faces publicly and shared the information that they are living with HIV. We have exhibited 24 large-scale portraits at Jubilee Library for World AIDS Day 2021 and in the London Lighthouse Gallery for the whole of June 2022.

This year we were thrilled to be invited to exhibit our portraits again in Jubilee Library for Zero HIV Stigma Day in July, which was a fantastic opportunity to show positive futures for people living with HIV. Not only were our portraits on display in the library, and featured on local ITV Meridian News, but three of our members were on stage to talk to the public about their journeys and hopes for the future.

With the HIV Outpatient clinic, the Lawson Unit, moving to the brand new hospital this year, there has been talk about displaying our portraits in the hospital, and not necessarily in the HIV department. If the whole point of our exhibition is to be open about our information, then why not inform everyone that living with HIV is not scary anymore?

For our activist members, sharing that they are living with HIV is not much of a challenge as they are used to speaking publicly about their lives. However, for others, the stigma that often surrounds HIV can be debilitating and difficult to navigate, not knowing how people are going to react, based on outdated information from fear-based campaigns in the 1980s.

This is one person’s journey which we hope will be inspiring.

“Although I have never been ashamed of my HIV status, I had only spoken up during HIV+ groups and conferences: this I wanted to change. By having my A0 sized portrait in the window of my place of work, Jubilee Library, couldn’t have been any bolder!

“I am very proud of the More to Me than HIV project and was extremely pleased that it would go on to be exhibited beyond the original project: displayed at Jubilee Library as part of Worlds AIDS Day 2022.

“As with most things scary, once the fear was faced – coming out as HIV+ at work – I quickly found the fear vanish and the strength I have always had about being positive that I was positive increased. For all of us within the HIV+ community, it is always our right about how open we are to family, friends and our wider circle, but none of us should feel fear or shame about our HIV+ diagnoses.

“There is still prejudice and misunderstanding about what HIV is, but I like to think the More to Me than HIV project has gone some way to break down the misinformation left over from the 1980s and has helped others to stand strong and say, ‘there’s more to me than HIV’.”

To learn more about us, please CLICK HERE or email info@moretomethanHIV.org.uk