Rebels Rebel

Book excerpt: This book tracks a movement that has as yet not been historicized in Europe on the subject of AIDS activism by various artistic collectives in New York in the 1980s. The approach is historic, yet activist-based, and combines a look at graphic design, with social, political, art historical, and curatorial reflections. 'Rebel Rebels' analyzes some of the activist art experiences born in New York between 1979 and 1989 (this is where the subtitle 'Art and Activism. New York 1979-1989' comes from), when in response to a conservative political and cultural climate artists began to work in groups and to realize projects concretely addressed to the problems of society. The book is conceived as a tribute to all those activist art collectives born in New York City at the beginning of the 80's (such as ACT UP, Gran Fury, Group Material), united by a common refusal of traditional aesthetic criteria, the synthesis of artistic strategies and commercial advertising for political propagandistic ends, and by a willingness to take direct action to end the AIDS crisis.