Exhibitions

HIVstory Exhibition

Now showing at the Manchester Histories Hub in Manchester Central Library, the HIVstory exhibition invites visitors to engage with powerful first-person stories from people affected by HIV and AIDS. The exhibition is free to visit and runs until 13 February 2026.

By Abigail Hawkins · February 3, 2026

About the exhibition

HIVstory is an innovative outreach project by the National HIV Story Trust, which holds the UK’s largest collection of filmed testimonies from people affected by HIV and AIDS. Drawing on these interviews, the HIVstory exhibition shares powerful real-life stories of love, loss, hardship and hope – revealing how individual lives and experiences intersect within this vital history. 

This first-of-its-kind project raises awareness of the AIDS pandemic and encourages positive social change, particularly among younger generations with limited knowledge of this period. Visitors are invited to learn through first-person storytelling and reflect on both historic and current HIV-related issues, including stigma and the importance of testing. 

Delivered in partnership with Manchester Histories as part of our Queer Up North programme, the exhibition helps bring under-represented histories to new audiences.

Close-up of a purple “HIVstory” display with the website address, alongside a wider view of the curved HIVstory exhibition panels featuring portraits, quotes and a timeline in the Manchester Histories Hub.
Two views from the HIVstory exhibition: a screen playing a filmed testimony with the National HIV Story Trust logo, and a table with HIVstory leaflets, a book titled Love, Loss & Life, and a booklet titled Holding the Archive.