Home What’s on Exhibitions

Tenderness and Rage

–
Now on
  • Free
  • Display
Photograph of a visitor standing at the entrance to an exhibition, looking at a large square quilt hanging on the wall. The quilt is light pink with a bright red hem, and has the words 'Tenderness and Rage' in capital letters sown onto it.
Tenderness and Rage. Quilt by Martin McGrath Studio and Karina Thompson. Gallery Photo: Benjamin Gilbert. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

‘Tenderness and Rage’ explores HIV and AIDS through stories of protest and care, from the height of the UK’s AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s to global experiences of HIV today.

Through photography, film and archival materials, the display connects everyday acts of care with activists’ fights for dignity, rights and equitable access to treatment.

At its centre are two photographic series created with artist Gideon Mendel. ‘The Ward’ documents the lives of patients on AIDS wards at Middlesex Hospital in London, while ‘Through Positive Eyes’ – a project led by the Art & Global Health Center at UCLA – shares the perspectives of HIV activists worldwide.

‘Tenderness and Rage’ amplifies voices often marginalised, with a particular focus on women living with HIV in the UK and around the world.

The exhibition is curated by Adam Rose.

Display highlights

Photograph of 2 exhibition visitors in discussion in front of a pink coloured gallery wall on which 7 framed photographs are hung. The mix of black and white and colour photographs depict scenes of protest.
Tenderness and Rage. ACT UP London protests. Black and white photographs: © Gordon Rainsford Archive, Bishopsgate Institute. Gallery Photo: Benjamin Gilbert. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
1 of 8

Photographs from the Gordon Rainsford archive capture ACT UP London protests at the Houses of Parliament and in Trafalgar Square between 1989 and 1993. Shown alongside more recent material, they trace a throughline of activism – from the fight against stigma and discrimination to ongoing demands for equitable healthcare, dignity and human rights for people living with HIV and AIDS. 

Photograph of a dark blue exhibition gallery wall showing a framed black and white photograph in a white frame. The photograph shows a hospital ward, with two people in casual clothes lying together on a narrow hospital bed surrounded by medical equipment, drinks and personal items, including photos and cards on the wall. Below the print is a caption panel and an audio guide ear cup.
Tenderness and Rage. The Ward, 'John lying on a hospital bed, chatting'. 1993. © Gideon Mendel. Gallery Photo: Benjamin Gilbert. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
2 of 8

John lies on a hospital bed, talking his partner. One of four patients photographed by Gideon Mendel, his story is part of a wider portrait of life on the UK’s first dedicated AIDS wards, where intimacy, care and connection persisted alongside fear and uncertainty before effective HIV treatment was available.

Photograph of an exhibition display case containing multiple items, including an open book, a framed hand print, a newsletter and ballet shoes.
Tenderness and Rage. Memory Store, Angelina Namiba. Courtesy of Angelina Namiba. Gallery Photo: Benjamin Gilbert. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
3 of 8

Angelina Namiba’s ‘Memory Store’ gathers objects from her daughter’s early life, made when the future felt uncertain for women living with HIV. It holds both the fear of loss and the enduring presence of motherhood, resilience and the strength of peer support.

Photographic diptych showing the corner of an exhibition space. The image on the left shows a closeup of a framed poster titled 'The Landmark, A Centre for People affected by HIV/AID'. The image on the right shows a visitor wearing headphones seated on a bench watching a film on a wall mounted TV screen.
Tenderness and Rage. Left: The Landmark, A Centre for People affected by HIV/AIDS. Right: Dancing Whilst Diagnosed. Directed and edited by David Mark Graham. Courtesy of Lambeth Links, supported by Untold Stories, part of the Mayor of London's Commission on Diversity in the Public Realm. Gallery Photo: Benjamin Gilbert. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
4 of 8

Displayed alongside a poster for The Landmark, this film looks back at the pioneering HIV centre in south London open from 1989 to 2002. Created by Lambeth Links with former service users, ‘Dancing Whilst Diagnosed’ remembers a place shaped not only by grief and stigma, but by solidarity, joy and the determination to celebrate life.

Photograph of a sage green freestanding gallery wall on which 2 colour photographs are hung in back frames. To the left is an information text panel.
Tenderness and Rage. Phindile, Johannesburg. © Phindile/Through Positive Eyes, a project of Gideon Mendel and the UCLA Art and Global Health Center. Gallery Photo: Benjamin Gilbert. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
5 of 8

This global photo-storytelling project puts cameras in the hands of people living with HIV, shifting who gets to tell the story. Featuring work by activists from around the world, five stories are included here.  

In Johannesburg, Phindile reflects on navigating stigma and finding strength through her activism. She also reflects on the impacts of global cuts to HIV funding on her life and work

Photograph of an exhibition visitor looking into a display case containing multiple items, including several hand-made stitched items.
Tenderness and Rage. Female body parts and Power Bags. Courtesy of Positively UK. Gallery Photo: Benjamin Gilbert. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
6 of 8

Crafted textiles from Catwalk4Power show how collective making and shared experience can become a form of activism. Created by migrant and global majority women living with HIV and allies, they speak to community, visibility and the power of coming together to challenge stigma.

Photograph of an exhibition visitor looking at 3 wall mounted information panels, titled 'Africa Health Research Institute'. The panels contain text, maps and photographs.
Tenderness and Rage. Africa Health Research Institute. Gallery Photo: Benjamin Gilbert. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
7 of 8

These panels introduce the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Working in partnership with local communities, activists and leaders, its research brings together science and lived experience to improve understanding, treatment and prevention of HIV.

circular activity table. On the table are pens, papers, stencils and posters. The visitors are in the process of chatting and creating their own protest placards.
Tenderness and Rage. Placard making activity. Gallery Photo: Benjamin Gilbert. © Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
8 of 8

Here, you're invited to respond. Make a placard, share a message, and add your voice. This space extends the spirit of protest and care seen throughout the exhibition, turning reflection into expression and inviting collective action.

Visit us

Free admission

Galleries open Tuesday–Sunday, Opening times

Gallery 3, level 1

Step-free access is available to all floors of the building

British Sign Language videos are available

Access resources include a visual story, large print guides and audio description

Access resources

Plan your visit

Exhibition visual story

This visual story provides images and information to help you plan and prepare for your visit to the exhibition.

When you're here

Resources designed to support your visit are available online and in the gallery.

Digital highlights tour
  • Find out more about the exhibition with our digital highlights tour, available in short audio clips with audio description and transcripts, or as BSL videos. It can be accessed on your own device, via handheld devices with tactile buttons, or on an iPad which you can borrow
  • Watch BSL video tour
  • Listen to audio tour with audio description
BSL, transcripts and induction loops
Audio description and visual access
Wheelchair and physical access
  • Step-free access is available to all floors of the building
  • We have a Changing Places toilet on level 0 and accessible toilets on all floors
Sensory access
  • A visual story with a sensory map is available online and in the building at the start of the exhibition
  • You can borrow tinted glasses, tinted visors, ear defenders and weighted lap pads. Please speak to a member of staff in the building
  • Weekday mornings are usually the quietest times to visit

Access information, tours and queries

Visit our accessibility page
access@wellcomecollection.org

Read related stories

  • Story

Artists, activism and AIDS

Posters by artists who turned their art into activism to support their communities and raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s.

Part of Inside our collections
  • Story

In the tracks of Derek Jarman’s tears

Researcher E K Myerson shares her emotional encounters with the personal papers of artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman.

  • Story

Telling Scotland about AIDS

Find out how activists and organisations working on AIDS information campaigns in 1980s Scotland used cartoons, kilts, and candid language to convey their message.

Part of Inside our collections