Gran Fury

Gran Fury was an AIDS activist artist collective formed in New York City in 1988. It was a project of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) and functioned as its unofficial propaganda arm. The collective's purpose was to use art and design to raise awareness about the AIDS crisis and advocate for political action.

Gran Fury created a wide range of public art, including posters, billboards, bus ads, and pamphlets. Their work often combined bold graphics with direct, confrontational messages about AIDS, government inaction, homophobia, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Key characteristics of Gran Fury's work included:

• Confrontational messaging: They directly challenged societal norms and power structures contributing to the AIDS epidemic.
• Use of statistical data: They incorporated data about infection rates, death tolls, and the cost of treatment to highlight the urgency of the crisis.
• Anonymous authorship: While individual members contributed, the collective often presented their work anonymously under the Gran Fury name, emphasizing collective action and shared responsibility.
• Public space intervention: They strategically placed their art in public spaces to reach a broad audience and disrupt everyday life.

Some of Gran Fury's most notable works include "Kissing Doesn't Kill: Greed and Indifference Do," a series of posters depicting same-sex couples kissing, and "Welcome to America," a large-scale installation at the 1990 Venice Biennale that exposed the devastating impact of AIDS on marginalized communities.

Gran Fury dissolved in 1995, having made a significant contribution to AIDS activism and the use of art as a tool for social change. Their work continues to be studied and exhibited as a powerful example of activist art and a reminder of the ongoing struggle for AIDS awareness and prevention.