He Cries, She Cries: Homage to our Sisters by Ed Aulerich-Sugai is now on display in the private offices of the nonprofit Oasis Legal Services, an organization that provides legal immigration services for LGBTQIA+ immigrants.
In 1987, following his diagnosis with HIV-related illness, Aulerich-Sugai began a series of drawings and paintings called Cells, which includes over 100 paintings and drawings. From oil on canvas to mixed media on paper, the work displays a broad range of approaches to color, abstraction, and form. The series represents the artist’s process of “looking at the virus inside,” examining the body at a cellular and molecular level as a step toward regaining control over it.
“Being diagnosed with ARC profoundly affected my life, but I found that telling my family and friends equally traumatized them,” Aulerich-Sugai wrote. “I wanted to show that trauma, and deep sadness in Homage to Our Sisters. Many people have come forth with love and support for the very ill, but Homage to Our Sisters was painted to give credit and respect to our lesbian sisters in the gay community who have taken on the roll of caregivers during the HIV epidemic.’”