Maria De Victoria: Help Me Hold This
Overview
Presented at the New York City AIDS Memorial as part of West Side Fest, Help Me Hold This was a site-specific, durational performance by artist Maria De Victoria that blurred the boundaries between witness, participant, and public memory. From dawn until dusk, De Victoria stood holding a single white sheet—a material evoking the hospital linens of the former St. Vincent’s Hospital, domestic care, burial shrouds, and the collective artmaking of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Through the simple, direct invitation, "Help me hold this," visitors joined the artist in carrying the fabric, transforming a solitary act of endurance into a shared gesture of ongoing collective care.
Project Context & Curatorial Role
As Commissioner, I worked with De Victoria to bring this participatory performance to the Memorial's platform, positioning it at the intersection of private grief and civic responsibility.
The performance served as a direct reckoning with the essential, often unacknowledged labor performed by women—lesbians, mothers, nurses, and caregivers—who stepped in when institutional and healthcare systems failed people living with AIDS. Drawing on feminist artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles' concept of "maintenance labor," the work honored the repetitive, emotionally grueling, and vital work of keeping communities alive and preserving human dignity during the crisis.
Building on De Victoria’s 2024 24-hour performance at the Memorial, Singing is a Simple Act, the back-and-forth rhythm of Help Me Hold This—oscillating between the artist standing alone and strangers stepping in to carry the weight alongside her—created a tangible metaphor for the grassroots care networks that held New York together through the epidemic's darkest years.
This program was presented as part of West Side Fest, a three-day celebration of arts and culture across Manhattan’s historic West Side from July 10—12, organized by the West Side Cultural Network.
Role: Commissioner
Date: July 10, 2026
Location: New York City AIDS Memorial
Artists: Maria De Victoria
