Keith Haring ‘Dolce Vita’
Keith Haring was an American artist best known for his street art and graffiti on the streets of New York in the 1980’s. Haring was a prominent figure in raising awareness to the AIDS epidemic and promoting safe sex education in the form of murals and posters. He was also instrumental in anti- drug campaigns by using his iconic imagery of faceless figures. Haring used rounded, curved patterning which made his designs seem non-authoritarian, friendly and educational. Many people often turned to Haring’s artwork for a sense of belonging and gay pride during heightened tensions around AIDS in the media.
Haring created the design for the Dolce Vita nightclub in Switzerland, which was an alternative youth centre located in a former depot of a transport service. Dolce Vita was Lausanne’s rock-and-roll version of Studio 54. Dolce Vita in the 1980’s was one of the most popular clubs in Switzerland. The club culture was intrinsically linked to Harings’ work. His dancing figures and music notes often appearing in his designs. To capture the vibe of the place, Haring conjured these two wrestlers whose limbs create an abstract geometric form. The owners of the venue loved the design that they adopted his text as their official sign before closing in 1999.
