REAL ART WAYS PRESENTS
DAVID WOJNAROWICZ'S "A FIRE IN MY BELLY"
AS RESPONSE TO CENSORSHIP

Still from David Wojnarowicz, A Fire in My Belly, video, 1987.

Hartford, Connecticut - In response to the National Portrait Gallery's recent removal of David Wojnarowicz's video piece "A Fire in My Belly" from its exhibit Hide/Seek, Real Art Ways is showing the work in its gallery.

On November 30, the National Portrait Gallery, part of the Smithsonian, removed "A Fire in My Belly" from its exhibition Hide/Seek, on "sexual difference in the making of modern American portraiture." The censorship came after pressure from the Catholic League, incoming Speaker of the House John A. Boehner (R-OH) and incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), who objected to an 11-second segment of the video that depicts a crucifix covered with ants.

"The Smithsonian has given in to anti-gay bullies," says Real Art Ways director Will K. Wilkins. "We are presenting this video to enable people to make up their own minds about the work, and about the incident. David Wojnarowicz can't be here to speak up for himself, but his work has a power, rage and sorrow that is soulful and unforgettable. We are proud to again present his art."

"A Fire in My Belly" was created in 1987 to honor of Peter Hujar, a colleague and lover of Wojnarowicz who that year had died of complications due to AIDS.

Along with presenting Wojnarowicz's "A Fire in My Belly" Real Art Ways is displaying a copy of "Untitled (One Day This Kid...)" and is offering free postcards of the work for visitors. Real Art Ways showed "Untitled (One Day This Kid...)" in its 1990 show AIDS/SIDA.

ABOUT DAVID WOJNAROWICZ
David Wojnarowicz (1954-1992) was an artist, gay rights activist and writer whose work is collected by international museums including the Museum of Modern Art, NY, The Whitney Museum, The Library of Congress, The New York Public Library, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Reina Sofia in Madrid, Museum Ludwig in Cologne, the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, and others. Wojnarowicz wrote the memoirs Close to the Knives and Memories That Smell Like Gasoline.

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