hiv prevention counseling cards
DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this Manipulated Photo Collection is to raise awareness through community education in HIV prevention and support individuals reducing their HIV risk. The Counselor uses The Ribbon Project tools to impress upon the client their sense of personal risk and to work side by side to develop a plan for their own risk reduction strategies.TRANSCRIPT
Emilio Aponte-Sierra
Ribbon HIV : Manipulated Photo Collection
HIV Prevention Counseling Cards
The Ribbon Project is a creative
counseling approach in which
Emilio Aponte has integrated his
thoughts, artistic knowledge and
counseling expertise. This
integration has tangible results when
translated. They are tools for the
counselors and educators which
serve to open a free flowing
dialogue between counselor /teacher
and client. The results of this
integration shown can be potentially
utilized in many various ways by
diverse professionals.
One of these many tools developed by The Ribbon Project is
Ribbon HIV: Emilio Aponte Manipulated Photo Collection © .
The purpose of this Manipulated Photo Collection is to raise
awareness through community education in HIV prevention and
support individuals reducing their HIV risk. The Counselor uses The
Ribbon Project tools to impress upon the client their sense of
personal risk and to work side by side to develop a plan for their
own risk reduction strategies.
www.myfaboulosdisease.com
Considering Emilio is an HIV risk reduction coordinator at the Pride Center in Ft Lauderdale, it’s no wonder that his current exhibit there, “Ribbon HIV,”focuses on HIV prevention and education (at right, a detail shot from his piece, “Mutants”). And what a stunning collection it is —high contrast black and
Artist Emilio Aponte is influenced, as he says, “by everything I see, feel and experience…”
white “manipulated photos” that all have a touch of red somewhere, reminding us the virus is still present in everyone’s lives. Beyond the images themselves, Emilio accompanies them with brief, positive statements about protecting oneself from HIV risk, or taking care of yourself if you are living with HIV. It’s a beautiful collection with a terrific message.
Message from Mark S. King: “Here's the blog posting with the item about your (great) exhibit… Congrats on your work! “
x Mark”
Self Portrait
is my visual
image in which
I point out the
undeniable
presence of a virus in which more than 33
million people of the world are currently
living with.
The power and allure of attraction always
involves Negative and Positive,
opposition and contradiction that should
be confronted with caution and love.
Stop…
Look…
Listen…
Don’t be
Scared…
You don’t have to live in darkness…
You can choose to live in the light…
Living with HIV is not easy…
Look into the deepest parts of yourself
and draw on your inner Strength
Everyone can stay safe if
Mutual Monogamy
is practiced in a loving relationship.
It is not only here
It can present itself to anyone…
any time… any where.
Know
your
Status…
so that
you are
able to
navigate through the mystery and
shadows of doubt.
Mutants.
All is not what you think it is. …
the virus changes...
it adapts…
You need to do the same.. .
Let the world know who you are,
but first Know yourself
When you
are living
with the
Stigma
you feel the weight of the world is yours.
A legion of
intruders
have taken
possession
of your
body.
You can stand up and fight the Invasion
The powerful knowledge of your
condition, gives you the know how to
pursue and achieve the results of
Undetectable
Barriers….
you lose the
freedom of
spontaneity
but you gain the joy of a longer life….
Do not turn
your back
on the
naked truth,
face reality
head on…
Bare Back not always is the best choice.
Risk…
its not always easy to see, it is better if
you keep your eyes wide open.
Social Network…
believe in friendship...
Sharing needles…never.
Believe
in
Mother
…its not always about sex.
Infected milk passes the virus to the baby
during breast feeding.
Check yourself and find out if you are
living with HIV.
Adoption
Please
let me
stay,
I am so
happy being in a loving family and not
an HIV orphan.
Daniel
“Good Morning my friends”…
Parasol
Everyone must always carry a parasol…
a canopy of protection.
My Fabulous Disease
“I’m an absurdist, a lover of human
frailty…”
Blog by Mark S. King
I’m from Valledupar, a small Colombia
Caribbean town where people use the music to
express their feelings, I like music too, but I
prefer to use art as a thread to celebrate life. In
1986 as an admirer of Neruda, I was writing
poetry. I was also writing stories influenced by
the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I
was attending Magdalena University and
developing my career as a playwright and actor in
several theatre companies of the city of Santa
Marta, always following Stanislavsky and
Grotosky’s theater theories
Even though I have been on hiatus as a
theater actor since 2002, I'm never without
my camera in hand. Sometimes the photographs
are left to hibernate in the computer and other
times when I am inspired by a world event, the
twinkle in a child’s eye or a kind smile, I get to
work and resurrect the photos, bring them back
to life with new manipulated images using Paint
(computer program).
My interest for the Visual Arts started with
my first art class by the Colombian Artist, Nora
Parra Leyton, who introduced me to the world of
painting in 1981 at the National Loperena
School. Now, some of my subject matter is about
landscape, flowers and animals. Those subjects
were close to my heart since I was working as an
environmental planner for the sustainable
development of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
My art is influenced by everything I see, feel
and experience, but I have always loved the
work of Van Gogh especially his drawings in
charcoal and ink. Ribbon HIV is my first Visual
Art collection using my photographs while
working as an HIV prevention Counselor. Each
person interprets something a little different
from the same photograph and I'm happy with
that.
It draws me in ever closer as I travel my life’s true
path. I love the art in counseling, I love the art in
theater, in painting, in philosophy, in poetry,
and photography. Art is at the center of my
life and will continue to influence me and
my work always.
My undergraduate degree has labeled me as a Fishing
Engineer and my Masters Degree is what allows me to navigate
the world of Guidance and Counseling. Art, in all forms, has
always held the greatest attraction for me.
I transformed these photographs into
contemporary images where the black and white
reminds me of a charcoal draw, and the color red
symbolizes the undeniable presence of the virus.
These manipulated images remind us all that this
virus is still very much present in everyone’s
lives and brings to mind, John Donne thoughts
“that no man is an island unto himself”. What
affects one affects all.
Emilio Aponte-SierraArtist Statement
“Art is a ripening,
an evolution, an
uplifting which
enables us to emerge from
darkness into a blaze of light”
Grotosky
Collections available for purchase. Private showing by appointment. call (786) 287-0052
I did not set out to be a visual artist nor did I
intend to create artwork relating to health issues
or social commentary, but as my portfolio
evolved and people started to take notice of my
work, the outcome and my purpose were clearly
laid out before me. I am very pleased with the
outcome
