Art is the ultimate transformative force. It has this incredible ability to transcend, to bridge gaps, to make you feel like you belong. It's not just about pretty pictures; it's about shaping perceptions. To love art is to be in a constant state of learning. It conjures a curiosity that, if you’re lucky, can bring you close to an artist that changes your life. An artist whose work and story dovetails so perfectly with yours, that it feels like they’ve just been waiting patiently for you to find them.
For me, that was David Robilliard. No artist has, or continues to have, such a profound impact on me. It’s a name that may not ring a bell for many but one that I, and so many others, feel deserves to echo through time.
I first stumbled upon David’s work when I was around the same age as he was when he passed away from AIDS in 1988. He was aged just 36. His art is like a talisman, a guiding force that connects the past to the future. His poetry, musings, paintings – they're not just brushstrokes; they're a lifeline, a hand reaching out across time. In an era shadowed by the AIDS crisis, he created art that wasn't just visually stunning but emotionally visceral, luring the viewer in to hear his words, just for a moment. His works are sparse, but with one glance you can feel the remnants of gay struggle, defiance, and joy, all pulling at him at once.
Like it was yesterday, I can remember seeing his work at the Institute of Contemporary Art, and I was taken aback by how authentically queer he was at a time when this wasn’t the norm or accepted. I immediately reflected on my own queerness and expression, putting myself in his shoes. Who would I have been at this time? How would I have handled the obstacles the queer community was facing? How has the work that he, and so many artists and activists, paved the way for me today? These thoughts sparked a greater interest in his work and motivated me to dive deeper into his life story.
We are in a time where queer rights are being challenged and voices are being silenced. We need to lean on those who came before us to understand how we are to move forward.
As I got to know David more – through the fragments I could find, through conversations with those who had for a moment crossed his path – I realised what a nuanced, complex life he lived, that had been so abruptly cut short. A common sentiment I encountered was that the fullest portrait of David had not been realised yet. If someone else wanted to know David like I did, how could they know him too, without the devices I had at hand?
I set out to meet David’s closest friends, colleagues, lovers, anyone who even had the smallest tidbit to share. This journey became the nexus for the documentary Life Is Excellent. This was a doorway into the life and mind of a man who, without knowing me, taught me profound lessons about myself. The experience was one of the most rewarding of my life; I’m grateful to have been able to do it thanks to my team, and to WePresent, the arts platform of WeTransfer for commissioning one of my wildest dreams. I’m thankful to all of those so close to David who opened their hearts for the man they love and miss so much.
I've been contemplating the notion that Robilliard's artistic endeavors went beyond mere creation. Instead, using his art as a vehicle for the challenges he encountered. His intention was not merely to produce gorgeous works but to convey a message – a testament to his refusal to remain passive in the face of adversity.
This is why he deserves to be amplified now. We are in a time where queer rights are being challenged and voices are being silenced. We need to lean on those who came before us to understand how we are to move forward.
As a queer man and an art lover, I feel an intrinsic responsibility to amplify their voices in any way I can, to recognise the path they paved for us to live our lives honestly and creatively. There's a lineage, a history, that can help spark a deeper understanding of who we are. When we look back, we realise that these narratives aren’t in the past at all; we need to channel their strength, the defiance, the resilience now more than ever.
