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not only keith harings art was a very important influence for neil curtis, but also one of his last pictures: it shows a nude and with harings patterns (body)painted keith haring "melting" into a room, also painted by keith haring. the picture was shot in 1986 by famous photographer annie leibovitz. "it was some kind of spontanous decision", she said. she wanted him to be more a part of his work, and so he decided to also paint himself.

for neil curtis, this picture not only had a visual message, but also a symbolic meaning. "I always wanted to do bodypainting, but I was scared of doing it". after he saw the picture, he also decided to "go public" and did his first session with a friend. "bodypainting is now also the basis of many of his projects because it combines painting, nude posing and performance. and it's also still quite shocking for many people" he says and smiles.

but keith harings work goes beyond his pictures, he was a very important part of the AIDS- and gay-movement.

ten years after keith harings death, this exhibition is now a very personal tribute to keith haring. "I decided to do bodypainting sessions inspired by keith harings typical patterns, because the human being, his vulnerability and surrounding has always been an important topic for keith haring" neil curtis says. in one of the pictures of the "tribal tribute" exhibition he shows the results of a black and white session.

"it was interesting to see how the models body more and more turned into a picture of lines and patterns". after 2 hours of work the bodypainting was finished and the entire body of the model was filled with the patterns. (the picture on the right shows one of the first stages of the painting session). after the painting process, a photosession took place, in which the result was shot with a digital camera. these pictures were later edited on the computer. "I decided to alter the pictures to black and white, so that the pattern becomes more important. I also decided to add a second layer to the black and white picture to symbolize haring's still visible presence" neil curtis explains. paralell to the exhibition in the berg exhibition room, pictures and background infos about the exhibition will be shown on the "tribal tribute" section on the neil curtis homepage.

the exhibition will start on
wednesday 16^th of february 2000 at 20.00 o clock
and will util 10^th of march. it takes place at the
exhibition room / café berg,
berggasse 8, 1090 vienna/austria.

click here to go to the neil curtis tribal tribute interview
click here to go to download printable pictures of "tribal tribute"
click here to see a small biography about keith haring

click here to download printable pictures of neil curtis.
click here to go to the "tribal tribute" section of the neil curtis homepage.
click here to go to the official keith haring website.

officially released pictures of tribal tribute
	picture of neil curtis "tribal tribute to keith haring" bodypainting session. (model: uli). neil curtis tribal tribute picture 1 800x600 pixel RGB / 120 kb
	second picture of neil curtis "tribal tribute to keith haring" bodypainting session. (model: uli). neil curtis tribal tribute picture 2 800x600 pixel RGB / 166 kb
	note: the pictures are copyright 2000 by neil curtis and are only intended for press-work. please contact me if you want to use the picture(s) in your publication!

neil curtis FAQ about tribal tribute exhibition

question: why did you decide to make a tribute project to keith haring?
neil curtis: because keith haring is one of the biggest influences in my work, and I wanted to remember people of him.

q: what other people have influenced your work?
apart from keith haring? andy warhol, neville brody when it comes to design and neil tennant from the pet shop boys for music.

q: what is the fascination of keith haring for you?
I really do like his pictures. he uses a very simple stile, but thats exactly his strenght. the basis for his work are aboriginal paintings, graffities and simple lines, combined with colour. it's not much, but his work still looks modern, fresh and expressive. another thing that fascinates me about keith haring is how he lived his creativity. he broke with the usual conventions, for example he did painting sessions in tube stations.

q: how does neil curtis break conventions?
that's difficult. probably by using the idea of flyers to promote this exhibition, rather than inviting people with "invitation cards" for the vernissage. but I guess that one of the "real breaks" are the fact that I do bodypainting only on male models. when I did my first painting session about 4 years ago, you could rarely see bodypainting pictures with men, most sessions are still done with female models.

q: why do you only paint on male models?
why not? about 95% of pictures you can find on the web are done on female models. I have no problem being one of a rare kind, but I would be happy if it would change.

keith haring biography

born on 4^th of may 1958, Reading (Pennsylvania)
died on 16^th of february 1990, New York City

education: school of visual arts, new york city

new york artist who became famous for his simple cartoon-like figures drawn on subway posters in the 80ies, committed AIDS activist, participated in "don't bungle the jungle" (1990) a benefit for companions of arts and nature hosted by madonna and artist kenny scharf. haring's works of art have also appeared in art exhibitions to benefit the earth's dwindling rainforests.

click here to go to the official keith haring website.