Who is Joe Average

Joe Average is a 62 y.o. Vancouver-based artist.  In the 1970’s he started exploring drawing and photography. In 1984, he was diagnosed with HIV, prompting him to put his aspirations into action by making a living from his artwork.  Using vivid colours and bold lines as structural elements, Joe created highly stylized paintings.  In 2010 he started photographing again creating a series of self-portraits to document his struggles with lipoatrophy.  Joe has lent his name and art to many social and humanitarian causes in Canada and has received countless awards and citations for his philanthropic work. In 2019 Joe was commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint  to design a coin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada.  

This image was commissioned and designed for the 11th international conference on AIDS. What I wanted to express in this image with the stained glass feeling is that we are all fragile in the face of AIDS but working together with love (the heart in the center) is what we need to do.