History of HIV told by Vancouver artists in new gallery show

Vancouver artist Tiko Kerr’s self-portrait uses his own discarded medical paraphernalia.

Since 1987, Vancouver artist Tiko Kerr has taken thousands of pills to keep HIV/AIDS at bay.

In the process he has collected vast quantities of pill bottles that, considering the outsized role the medication had played in saving his life, has made their way into his work in a series of self-portraits.

“I have cartons full of pill boxes and all that sort of thing collecting in my studio, so I tried to do something creative with them rather than have them accumulate in the landfill.”

One of those self-portraits, Tough to Kill, a 36×36-inch piece made of acrylic and medical paraphernalia, will be on display at the Joseph and Rosalie Segal Centre at the Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre in Downtown Vancouver on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a new multimedia exhibit that explores the experience of living with HIV and Vancouver’s role in HIV activism and awareness.