<I>Untitled (a lie is not a shelter), 1989</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1989
name: label: Created by
content: Lorna Simpson, American, born 1960
notes: label: Caption
content: A pioneer in conceptual photography and film, Lorna Simpson is best known for her large-scale photographic images of women, accompanied by enigmatic words and phrases. The subjects of her works often reference societal issues such as identity, gender, discrimination, and race. In the case of Untitled (a lie is not a shelter), Simpson engages all of the above.
label: Caption
content: Created for the Art Against AIDS project in 1989, Untitled speaks to the lack of information, prevention, and treatment of HIV and AIDS among Black women and women of color during an era when it was primarily recognized and treated as a disease that afflicted gay white males.
label: Description
content: Black-and-white photograph of the torso of an African American woman in a light colored short sleeve shirt standing with her arms crossed and text dispersed across her clothing. The text reads, "a lie is not a shelter / discrimination is not protection / isolation is not a remedy / a promise is not a prophylactic."
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Health
label: Topic
content: LGBTQ
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Sexuality
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1969-2001
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Visual Arts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Billy E. Hodges
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2009.2
objectType: label: Type
content: gelatin silver prints
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Lorna Simpson. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 59 x 48 x 1 1/8 in. (149.9 x 121.9 x 2.9 cm)