From 12-16 June 2025, the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be displayed in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, London. The quilt is thought to be one of the largest community arts projects ever, and is a fascinating piece of social history, comprising 42 quilts that commemorate 384 individuals affected by HIV and AIDS.
The idea was originated by activist Cleve Jones in the US in 1985. People were invited to create textile panels commemorating loved ones lost to AIDS, which were sewn together into quilts. These were often used during protests, where the names embroidered on the panels would be read out.
One of the 42 quilts that make up the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt
One of the 42 quilts that make up the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt
Inspired by a display he saw in San Francisco, Scottish activist Alistair Hulme began a UK version of the quilt project in the late-1980s. This blossomed into the ‘Quilts of Love’ display at Hyde Park Corner in 1994, which showcased panels from the US and the UK with contributions from fashion designers.
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt consists of 42 panels, each containing up to eight smaller panels, embroidered with testimonials, photos, documents and other tributes to individuals affected by HIV and AIDS, including prominent figures such as writer Bruce Chatwin and actor Ian Charleson. For many years, it remained in storage and faced the threat of deterioration, leading to the formation of the AIDS Memorial Quilt Conservation Partnership, which is presenting the quilt at Tate Modern.
An individual panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt
Although effective drug treatments for HIV now exist, meaning that people with the virus can live long and healthy lives, access to these medications remains uneven and global communities continue to be impacted by the pandemic. The quilt serves as a reminder of this, as well as a way of commemorating those lost and combating the stigma still associated with HIV and AIDS. In being displayed at Tate Modern, the quilt will reach its biggest audience yet. Additionally, two live readings of the names on the quilt will take place on 14 June at 11am and 2pm, in the tradition of the protests where the quilts originated.
An individual panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt
Siobhán Lanigan from the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Conservation Partnership has said: ‘The purpose of our partnership is to have the quilt seen as often as possible in as many places as possible… With every viewing, the names and the lives of all the people commemorated and all those who could not be named are recognised, celebrated and brought out of the shadow of the stigma that is still associated with an HIV diagnosis today.’
Tate Modern’s director, Karin Hindsbo, has described the quilt as ‘an incredible feat of creative human expression’ and said that visitors will find it ‘a deeply moving experience’.
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