‘Survivors: the art of defiance’ – at the Fitzrovia Chapel

A powerful new exhibition of photographs by Danielle van Zedelhoff, featuring 16 striking portraits of long-term survivors of HIV, will open at the Fitzrovia Chapel in June.

Presented in partnership with the National HIV Story Trust (NHST), which was established to preserve the real life stories of the HIV and Aids pandemic of the 1980s and 1990s, the portraits were commissioned during the filming of the first 100 interviews the charity collected.

Zedelhoff, born in Amsterdam in 1963, is a fine art portrait photographer known for her emotionally raw images, and has presented work in major museums and galleries across Europe, the Middle East and the USA.

“These survivors are witnesses to our history. I have tried to capture a reflection of their strength, of the fragility of beauty in their imperfection: the connections between the landscape of skin and their inner selves,” says Zedelhoff.

Paul Coleman, co-founder and chair of the NHST, said: “The immense challenges of an HIV diagnosis are well-known, but within often painful stories are also deep wells of hope, resilience and strength.

“Danielle’s portraits capture the dichotomy between these themes and remind us that at the heart of HIV are human beings and the complex, interwoven tensions between adversity and fortitude.”

The Fitzrovia Chapel is the only remaining part of the demolished Middlesex Hospital, where in 1987 Princess Diana opened the pioneering Broderip and Charles Bell Wards — the first in the UK dedicated to the treatment and care of patients with Aids and HIV-related illnesses.

Survivors: the art of defiance, at the Fitzrovia Chapel, 2 Pearson Square, London W1T 3BF. Exhibition open 9-12 June 2026: Tuesday-Thursday 11am-6pm; Friday 11am-4pm. Admission free.

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