Acts Of Care: An Extended Reality Exhibition On The 90s HIV/AIDS Crisis In South Africa

The "Acts Of Care: An Extended Reality Exhibition On The 90s HIV/AIDS Crisis In South Africa" is a free exhibition held at the Latitudes Centre for the Arts in Mountain View, Johannesburg. It runs from September 5 to December 1, 2026. The exhibition is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 3pm, and on selected Saturdays (September 26, October 31, and November 28, 2026) from 10am to 1pm.

This Extended Reality (XR) exhibition leverages virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and an interactive public space to bring to life archival material from the Township AIDS Project (TAP), held by the GALA Queer Archive. It aims to showcase how communities in early 1990s Johannesburg and Soweto organized care, education, and advocacy in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis during a period of poor understanding and high stigmatization.

The exhibition is structured into three interconnected experiential zones: Caring (Witness), Loving (Recognise), and Sharing (Act). Station one features a VR reconstruction of an early 1990s community counselling room in Johannesburg, narrated by Enea Motaung of TAP. Station two offers a playful, full-body AR photo experience inspired by 1990s queer activist culture and safe-sex campaigns. The third zone invites visitors to design physical or digital posters using visual assets from the TAP and GALA archive, contributing their works to a growing, shared wall.