Portals of Remembrance

Kinfolk Tech and the New York City AIDS Memorial are thrilled to present Portals of Remembrance, an exhibition featuring three augmented reality (AR) monuments created by four renowned contemporary artists. The exhibition reimagines the New York City AIDS Memorial as a dynamic site of memory and empowerment through a pioneering digital platform, Kinfolk. This collaboration aims to honor and illuminate the stories of underrepresented figures within the HIV/AIDS movement through three virtual monuments created by Derek Fordjour, Egyptt LaBeija, Tourmaline, and Jacolby Satterwhite.

Kinfolk Tech, known for amplifying Black and Brown stories through immersive (AR) experiences, will leverage cutting-edge technology to embolden narratives of resilience, survival, and advocacy. Utilizing the site of the New York City AIDS Memorial, each artist will contribute a distinct perspective, giving voice to those often excluded from historical accounts and transforming how we engage with and preserve collective memory.

About the Works

Derek Fordjour

In Cellular Chaser, Fordjour draws inspiration from his acclaimed Black jockey series, using the imagery of the jockey and horse to explore themes of hypervisibility, death, disappearance, and stalled progress. His work underscores the enduring impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly its disproportionate impact on African Americans, who account for nearly 40% of new HIV infections.

Cellular Chaser is a conundrum. At its core exists a contradiction between the appearance of forward progress personified in the posture of an intrepid jockey on horseback and the stationary motion of a rocking horse. One idea, obsessed with advancement, and the other lulls to sleep with the use of a simple, age-old technology. Presently, the country is divided between advancing democratic ideals of social progress and the dreaded return of age-old tactics such as xenophobia and censorship.

Egyptt LaBeija & Tourmaline

Score by Geo Wyex

Expanding on the themes from Tourmaline’s short film, Atlantic is a Sea of Bones and LaBeija’s enduring legacy, this collaborative work with a score by Geo Wyex creates an experience that is both a tribute and a testament to personal and collective histories of Black queer and trans resilience. LaBeija’s iconic movements, combined with immersive audio storytelling, guide visitors through a powerful journey that bridges the past and present, using motifs of the ocean and cycles of survival. Harnessing AR’s unique ability to make the unseen visible, the experience transforms the physical memorial space into a portal for memory and transformation, challenging historical erasure and celebrating Black trans narratives. The project stands as a beacon for forward-looking empowerment and reminds us that survival is an act of creativity and that remembrance is an act of imagination. Together, it honors the past while envisioning a future where these stories continue to flourish and inspire.

Jacolby Satterwhite

You Make Me Feel Mighty Real is a tribute to Sylvester, the legendary musician and trailblazer who revolutionized mainstream music with unapologetic Black queer humanity, blues and jubilance. In an era when LGBTQ+ visibility was scarce, Sylvester’s presence in disco and pop culture shattered barriers, proving that a Black, openly gay artist could command the spotlight on his own terms. His music - ecstatic, defiant and deeply personal - became anthems of liberation, inspiring future generations of queer artists and paving the way for Black gay representation in all media.

By depicting Sylvester as a Byzantine-style religious icon, this AR sculpture reclaims the visual language of divinity, elevating him to the status of a saint—a protector of the marginalized, a symbol of transcendence, and a patron of queer resilience. Byzantine icons were traditionally used to communicate spiritual power and eternal presence, and through augmented reality, Sylvester’s iconography is reimagined in a contemporary, living form, accessible in the digital space. His shimmering presence in AR defies the limitations of physical monuments, echoing the ethereal, otherworldly essence he embodied in life.

As the AIDS epidemic took so many bright voices, including Sylvester himself, this piece honors his legacy not just as a performer, but as a beacon of defiance, self-love and enduring queer power. In digital resurrection, his spirit continues to shine, reminding us that queer joy is sacred, and that our icons deserve to be immortalized in ways as limitless as their impact.

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