’Free Bird’ presents a subjective interpretation of a life with HIV that contradicts all stereotypes. The photos, video and the podcast follow a crucial moment in Martha’s life; Martha is having a Free Bird tattoo made on her ring finger, celebrating and engaging herself to freedom.
Martha has been living with HIV for more than 20 years. Her husband infected her. The couple have never had a harmonious relationship. He often left her alone with the children. After the change of regime, she left the family and went to Western Europe for long periods. No one knew exactly where he went. Shortly after his return home, however, the couple were reunited, and 9 years later, after a long hospital stay, he was diagnosed with AIDS. Martha was also infected. After the initial shock, Márta decided not to abandon her husband and cared for him until the last moment. 
After her husband's death, Márta started working as an activist in a then well-established association, and after its dissolution she continued her work as a private person. She is one of the founding members and patient activist of the "Retro Shield Association for People Living with HIV", which was founded in 2020.

Podcast, video, photo: Szász Lilla
Voice, idea: Márta
Tattoo and graphic design: Szurcsik Erika
Editing: Hutanu Emil
Length: 7:24


Free Bird is part of the Action Plan for the acceptance of people living with HIV.
"What we all have in common is that we are all living with HIV; but we are human beings in the flesh, just like everyone else. We don't want a three or even four letter medical acronym to define every aspect of our lives."
Around 4,300 people are in hiding in the country today, taking their medicine every night to keep from dying, and happy if at least their families don't ostracise them. Ordinary people - the RetroShield Association (Retropajzs Egyesület) is fighting to make their lives ordinary. Together with artist Lilla Szász, they have developed an action plan that highlights some of the problems that people living with HIV have to deal with every day. The problems are based on the themes of important holidays such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and World AIDS Day.

User 917432027