In A Dream You Saw A Way To Survive and You Were Filled With Joy
Organized by Keith Fox & Stephen Truax
October 28 – 31, 2026
David Kordansky Gallery
520 West 20th Street, New York
The New York City AIDS Memorial is thrilled to celebrate its 10th anniversary with In A Dream You Saw A Way To Survive And You Were Filled With Joy, a major exhibition organized by Keith Fox and Stephen Truax at David Kordansky Gallery in New York.
In A Dream brings together landmark works by 39 artists and artist estates, many of whom died of AIDS. Art-historically important examples executed between 1971 and 1994 will be presented alongside new artworks coming directly from leading contemporary artists’ studios.
The exhibition will open with a reception on Wednesday, October 28, from 6–8 pm, and will remain on public view through Saturday, October 31, at David Kordansky Gallery, 520 West 20th Street.
Proceeds will benefit the New York City AIDS Memorial and its contemporary art, cultural, and educational programming, including commissioning new and ambitious public artworks by leading contemporary practitioners.
The exhibition pays tribute to the ongoing legacy of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City while advancing the Memorial’s mission as both a vital site of remembrance and a dynamic platform for activism, culture, public art, and community engagement. In A Dream takes its title from artist Jenny Holzer’s seminal Survival Series (1983–1985) work, In A Dream You Saw A Way To Survive and You Were Filled With Joy. Holzer designed the Memorial’s iconic granite paver installation.
Featured artists:
Leilah Babirye
Gretchen Bender
Joe Brainard
Jared Buckhiester
Kyle Dunn
George Dureau
Austin Eddy
Cy Gavin
General Idea
Sam Gilliam
Jennifer Guidi
Simon Haas
Hugh Hayden
Loie Hollowell
Shara Hughes
Peter Hujar
Natia Lemay
Glenn Ligon
Robert Mapplethorpe
Chris Martin
Ryan McGinley
Sam McKinniss
Jamie Nares
Justin Liam O’Brien
Paul P.
Hilary Pecis
Adam Pendleton
Jack Pierson
Peter Shear
Aaron Michael Skolnick
Harold Stevenson
Alessandro Teoldi
Hank Willis Thomas
Wolfgang Tillmans
Richard Tinkler
Tom of Finland
Nicole Wittenberg
David Wojnarowicz
Jimmy Wright
The New York City AIDS Memorial is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the more than 100,000 New Yorkers who have died of AIDS, and recognizing the contributions of caregivers and activists who mobilized to provide care, fight discrimination, lobby for research, alter the drug approval process, and ultimately changed the trajectory of the epidemic.
In 2026, the Memorial celebrates its 10th anniversary since its dedication on World AIDS Day in 2016, marking a decade of artistic, cultural, and civic engagement that preserves the history and lessons of the epidemic.
The New York City AIDS Memorial occupies a prominent public park in the West Village adjacent to the former St. Vincent’s Hospital campus, which housed the city’s first and largest dedicated AIDS ward. The Memorial serves as a civic space for reflection, remembrance, and engagement, offering free public programs in arts, education, and culture.