R I V E R O F B L O O D , R I V E R O F

L I F E

River of Blood, River of Life was an art collaboration with Kuala Lumpur AIDS Support Services Society (KLASS) to commemorate World AIDS Day 2018.

The work was created as a memorial to Malaysians who have passed away from AIDS, and also to celebrate the valiant struggle of so many who continue to live with the virus and those who care for them.

The work is both symbolic and matter of fact. Gold represents the light of the soul and the unbroken ‘river’ of red cloth symbolises the life force that flows in all our veins.

Each gold square painted on the red cloth represents a life that has been lost to HIV/AIDS-related complications since the first case was recorded in Malaysia in 1986. In the three decades since 1986, the Ministry of Health (2016) has recorded more than 42,864 Malaysian deaths from HIV/AIDS-related complications.

The work was installed and created in Kilang Bateri, Johor, in World AIDS Day 2018, by KLASS volunteers.