Untitled by David Wojnarowicz, 1990-1991, Photostat, 32 15/16 x 39 15/16″ (83.7 x 101.4 cm), The Modern Museum of Art, New York.

Now facing his own AIDS diagnosis, David Wojnarowicz used the years going into 1990 to reflect on his life and reflect on where the AIDS movement was headed. During this time, Wojnarowicz used less photos of himself and instead opted for mixed media collages and paintings to express himself. In this untitled image, Wojnarowicz takes on the position of looking back at his younger self, he literally portrays this through a photocopied photo of himself as a kid, but also through the language he uses. By continuously using the phrase “One day this kid will”, Wojnarowicz pulls on the original sentiment of the quote, something that should be followed up with good, positive news, and twists it to reflect the harsh reality of his life now in 1990. Though the image is powerful and uses a resentful tone towards the forces that seek to exclude him from society, it is ultimately melancholic to read all that Wojnarowicz has faced in his life while being forced to look at an image of him as a child. This style of combining text and photo would continue to be a staple of Wojnarowicz’s last works

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