At the Intersection of Tenderness and Rage: “Tenderness and Rage” at Wellcome Collection
The history of HIV and AIDS is not merely a ledger of medical diagnoses and losses; it is also a history of quiet acts of tenderness protecting human dignity and a radical rage that shook the streets. With the exhibition “Tenderness and Rage,” Wellcome Collection in London draws a striking line extending from the peak of the 1980s and ’90s AIDS epidemic in the UK to today’s global HIV struggle.
Curated by Adam Rose, the exhibition brings everyday acts of care together with the right to equal health and anti-stigma activism through photography, film, archival materials, and textile works. The exhibition especially centers the voices of women and migrant communities, who are frequently marginalized in historical narratives.
The Memory of Care: From Hospital Wards to Living Spaces
One of the strongest works forming the visual backbone of the exhibition is artist Gideon Mendel’s ‘The Ward’ series. Shot in the UK’s first dedicated AIDS wards at Middlesex Hospital in London, these photographs document in all their raw honesty the human connection, love, and care at the bedside of patients during a period filled with uncertainty and fear before effective treatment methods existed.
The traces of the act of care in personal memory appear in Angelina Namiba’s ‘Memory Store’ installation. Objects saved by Namiba for her daughter during years when the future was uncertain as a woman living with HIV reflect maternal resilience and the vital power of peer support.
On the other hand, the short film “Dancing Whilst Diagnosed,” produced by Lambeth Links in memory of iconic HIV center The Landmark which operated in South London between 1989 and 2002, reminds us that these spaces were shaped not only by grief, but also by solidarity, joy, and the desire to celebrate life.
The Aesthetics of Protest and Global Civil Resistance
The “Rage” wing brings the transformative power of street activism into the exhibition space. Photographs pulled from the Gordon Rainsford Archive at the Bishopsgate Institute document the protests carried out by the ACT UP London group in Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square between 1989 and 1993.
The exhibition contextualizes this historical resistance with current global struggles:
Through Positive Eyes (UCLA Collaboration): In the project carried out in partnership with Gideon Mendel and the UCLA Art and Global Health Center, the camera is handed directly to activists living with HIV. The story of Phindile from Johannesburg conveys the devastating effects of cuts in global health funds on individual lives and the struggle against local stigma through her own eyes.
Catwalk4Power & Positively UK: Textile activism products (“Power Bags”) produced by women from migrant and global majority backgrounds prove how collective production turns into a radical tool of visibility to break prejudices.
Make Your Banner and Leave Your Message (Participatory Memory): Tenderness and Rage does not force the viewer to be merely a passive observer. The interactive banner workshop located at the end of the exhibition area invites visitors to produce their own messages, express their feelings, and add their own voices to the exhibition’s spirit of collective action.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where does the “Tenderness and Rage” exhibition take place?
The exhibition is held between May 29, 2026, and May 30, 2027, at Wellcome Collection (183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE – Gallery 3, Level 1).
Is entry to the exhibition paid?
No, entry to this exhibition located in Wellcome Collection’s general galleries is completely free of charge.
What are the prominent photography projects in the exhibition?
Gideon Mendel’s ‘The Ward’ series documenting the Middlesex Hospital wards, Gordon Rainsford’s ACT UP London archival photographs, and the ‘Through Positive Eyes’ project prepared in collaboration with UCLA are the main prominent visual works.
