In Street Art Boy, director Ben Anthony explores Haring’s development as an artist with a clarity that only comes from a deep-seated love of his work, embedding his journey in the divisive politics of the Reagan administration and the devastating impact of AIDS. Keith Haring: Street Art Boy is showing on BBC Two on July 4th at 9.15 pm.
When does art become political activism, and when does political activism become art? This question is embedded in the city art scenes that have defined a generation, time or place, from the rise of graffiti art to avant-garde sculpture and artistic protest.
Many artists have led these movements over the years, from Baldiga and Banksy to Ai Weiwei and Andy Warhol. Keith Haring – a man whose career was born on the New York subway as he combined art, activism and pop culture is among these pioneers. Haring’s white chalk drawings would become synonymous with gay rights, global AIDS campaigns and anti-nuclear protests, his art adorning posters, placards and subway walls. Despite dying at a young age from AIDS, Haring’s work has continued to speak to new generations, now decorating rucksacks, posters and t-shirts.
Haring was born on the 4th of May 1958 in Reading, Pennsylvania, where his love of drawing was evident from an early age. Upon graduating in 1976, Haring enrolled in the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh; however, it was clear that commercial art didn’t match his vision or flair, as he sought out experimental and activist-driven projects. Therefore, early into his college life, Haring dropped out and moved to New York, making the same trip as many young gay men as he escaped the rigidity and oppression of small-town America.
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In New York, Haring met fellow artists Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat while embracing the abundance and energy of the legendary Club 57. It was here that he would experiment through performance art and media. However, it was within the vibrant and daring world of graffiti art that Haring would ultimately find his voice. Here, the expressionism and activism of black inner-city culture would inspire him. His initial work was a mix of graffiti, new wave punk and pop culture, as his striking yet straightforward figures appeared in chalk and black marker across New York’s subways and walls. But this would soon expand into a world of colour, expressionism and political art as Haring announced his arrival.
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In Street Art Boy, director Ben Anthony explores Haring’s development as an artist with a clarity that only comes from a deep-seated love of his work, embedding his journey in the divisive politics of the Reagan administration and the devastating impact of AIDS. However, this exploration of early eighties culture and change is also linked to the freedom of the late 70s art movement, in which the power of community activism challenged the established art world.
Anthony uses Haring’s personal film footage to narrate his life and legacy, while also shining a light on the passions and experiences that inspired him to fight for equality, representation, and diversity. In a modern world where division and inequality dominate our shared human experience, Haring’s spirit continues to point toward a world where art embraces change.
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