Hercules

“Fighting Monsters”

Demigod/Sculpture:

Hercules is famous for his strength, valor, wisdom, and fighting. In Medieval times, the monsters he fought were seen as moral obstacles.

The sculpture here is shown as masculine, strong and powerful; however, this is juxtaposed by the striking removal of Hercules’ head with a sign he holds in its place. Chris has decapitated Hercules (essentially killing him), in order for the viewer to feel a tragic sense of loss.

Protest/Movement:

The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) was formed in 1985 as a political conscious-raising group to advocate on behalf of people with HIV and AIDS. In 1987, ACT UP launched a powerful campaign created by a 6-person collective, Avram Finkelstein, Brian Howard, Oliver Johnston, Howard Kreloff, Chris Leone, and Jorge Soccaras, designed a poster with the title phrase: “SILENCE = DEATH” with a pink triangle above. The message gained public support, pressuring politicians, researchers and drug makers to streamline medications

Key Symbols/Symbolism:

Pink Triangle-A pink triangle has been a symbol for various LGBTQI identities, initially intended as a badge of shame, but later reclaimed as a positive symbol of self-identity. In Nazi Germany, it began as one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, distinguishing those imprisoned because they had been identified by authorities as homosexual men (including bisexual men and transgender women),as many as 63,000. In the 1970s, it was revived as a symbol of protest against homophobia, and has since been adopted by the larger LGBTQI community as a popular symbol of the LGBTQI the LGBTQI movement.