Ignorance = Fear/Silence = Death — USA, 1989
Painting: Keith Haring. ACT UP
The goal of this poster was to bring attention to the prejudice surrounding the growing AIDS crisis in the late 1980s. "Silence = Death" — a painting by Keith Haring — depicts three figures in positions that suggest a modern day embodiment of the three wise monkeys who "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". There are various meanings ascribed to the monkeys and the proverb. In the western world the phrase is often used to refer to those who deal with impropriety by looking the other way, refusing to acknowledge it, or feigning ignorance. Here the purpose is to campaign on behalf of the American people to overcome the prejudice that prevents protecting their health and the health of their loved ones. Haring, a social activist and a gay man who was actively involved with ACT UP, died of AIDS complications in 1990.
