Exhibition ‘Tenderness and Rage’ Highlights AIDS Activism and Care

The Story

A new exhibition titled “Tenderness and Rage” at the Wellcome Collection in London explores how groups affected by HIV, including gay men, women of colour, and refugees, found power, solidarity, comfort, and joy in AIDS activism and support services. The show begins by looking back at the AIDS epidemic in London in the early 1990s, featuring a documentary about the Landmark drop-in centre in Tulse Hill. It also addresses a controversial chapter in the Wellcome Trust’s history, including Act UP’s campaign to lower the cost of the HIV drug AZT. Photographs from Gideon Mendel’s series “The Ward” portray the care and daily lives of four young gay men at Middlesex hospital. The exhibition includes contributions from individuals such as Phindile, who lost her job as an AIDS counsellor in Johannesburg after the Trump administration cut funding. The show runs from 29 May 2026 to 30 May 2027.

Key Facts

• The exhibition “Tenderness and Rage” is at the Wellcome Collection, London, running from 29 May 2026 to 30 May 2027.
• It reflects how different groups affected by HIV found power, solidarity, comfort, and joy in activism and support services.
• A documentary titled “Dancing Whilst Diagnosed” tells the story of the Landmark drop-in centre in Tulse Hill, south London.
• The exhibition includes a cabinet about Act UP’s campaign to lower the cost of AZT, which was produced by a company the Wellcome Trust then had a 75% stake in.
• Rob Archer, a co-founder of Act Up London and Edinburgh, bought shares in the drug firm and questioned the company chair at its annual general meeting in January 1989.
• Gideon Mendel’s photo series “The Ward” features intimate portraits of four young gay men at Middlesex hospital.
• Phindile recently lost her job as an AIDS counsellor in Johannesburg after the Trump administration cut funding.
• The exhibition features a memory store by Angelina Namiba, including a published diary of her pregnancy and her daughter’s framed handprint.
• Hand-stitched female body parts by HIV-positive women represent the work of Catwalk4Power to improve body image and promote discussion about sex, intimacy, sexual health, trauma, and living with the disease.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

No open questions identified in the source article.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Marc Thompson (former service user, worked in HIV prevention and sexual health)
• Rob Archer (co-founder of London and Edinburgh Act Up)
• Gideon Mendel (photographer, co-founder of Through Positive Eyes)
• Phindile (AIDS counsellor in Johannesburg, first name only)
• Adam Rose (curator of Tenderness and Rage)
• Angelina Namiba (creator of memory store)

Sources: The Guardian