House of HIV
Welcome to House of Hiv
40 years of Fighting, Mourning, Caring and Loving
40 years of Community Activism
A journey full of stories
The exhibition House of HIV was on display in Amsterdam from August 19 to September 9, 2022. The exhibition reflects on forty years of living with and managing HIV. Since the HIV epidemic broke out in the Netherlands four decades ago, numerous initiatives by Dutch HIV communities have significantly impacted the response to and management of HIV in our country. These often invisible initiatives were showcased to the public for the first time.
The exhibition traces the journey from a life expectancy of zero to normal. Whereas AIDS was once a death sentence, HIV today poses no threat to public health and, with the right medication, is no longer sexually transmissible. However, the focus on HIV has diminished, leading to a persistent taboo and stigma due to a lack of knowledge. One of the goals of House of HIV is to break this, both within vulnerable groups who benefit from HIV treatment and in society, where misconceptions about HIV still exist.
40 years of HIV initiatives
The communities affected by HIV have played a crucial role in responding to and tackling the disease. The exhibition centers on four themes that together tell the story of forty years of living with and managing HIV: remembering, caring, fighting, and healing. Through various rooms that make up the house, the stories behind the initiatives are showcased. For example, buddy systems were established, AIDS Memorial Day was created, and communities launched various prevention projects, such as PrEP workshops. The rooms are filled with (historical) images, art, and photographs by artists including Basse Stittgen and Erwin Olaf. House of HIV is a house in progress, and this exhibition also marks the beginning of archiving the history of Dutch HIV activism.
House of HIV
The full exhibition was displayed at various locations in Amsterdam. The different rooms were set up in the buildings of the Prostitution Information Center (PIC), Poppi, Hiv Vereniging, IHLIA, Black Queer Archives, Trans United and Tetterode. Poppi hosts the room dedicated to harm reduction, drug policy, and the impact of HIV on the lives of those who use drugs.
Visit the website www.houseofhiv.nl for more information and an insight into the stories of the exhibition. Want to use our photos for an event of conference? Email info@poppi.amsterdam.