The Billboard Project

HIV/AIDS: Break the Silence

An art exhibition of 31 graphic works on the theme “HIV/AIDS: Break the Silence”, organized by the South African Artists for Human Rights Trust, was exhibited last summer at Palais des Nations. This travelling exhibition was brought to life in order to raise HIV/AIDS awareness in South Africa and abroad. With its main destination the AIDS 2002 Conference in Barcelona, this portfolio including the work of 31 international artists, has been exhibited in Bangladesh, Botswana Germany, Namibia, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

The Break the Silence portfolio project had a second dimension. Based on the fact that art in South Africa has often been used as a means of social change, and that HIV/AIDS awareness should be raised especially in their urban communities, a bill board project was launched in which enterprises and government institutions were asked to sponsor the creation of billboards carrying a strong HIV/AIDS message. Together with the sponsor, one or several of the artistic prints from the portfolio were selected, transferred into billboards which then were placed at specific locations throughout South Africa.sw

The exhibition at the Palais des Nations last summer inspired a group of young UN professionals to support an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign themselves. Together with family and friends from the private sector, money was collected to erect a billboard in Cape Town, South Africa.

The billboard, 3 by 12 meters in size, displays a work made by Daniel Ohene-Adu from Ghana. A schematically drawn couple is surrounded by flames of both love and death as framing hearts and skulls designate. The prints message “HIV/AIDS is deadly! Use a condom” is emphasized by an immense condom pointing towards the lower bodies of the hugging couple. According to one of the initiators this piece of art was chosen from the portfolio as it was the clearest way of bringing the message across. The billboard is placed next to a busy road in Cape Town where thousands of people pass every day. This was the first time a billboard was sponsored on a private initiative.

The billboard campaign “Break the Silence” is organised by the Artist for Human Rights Trust. An art work, together with a company logo and the ‘break the silence’ slogan can be flighted on a 3 by 6 or 3 by 12 meters sized billboard. The actual costs for one billboard is about 1000 USD.

For more information, visit the website of Artist for Human Rights at http://www.ahr.org.za