MW His self, Nov 30, 1972

An influential and openly gay artist during the AIDS era, Martin Wong worked in both San Francisco and New York City. He employed various mediums and styles and was an avid collector of found objects from popular and street culture, which he incorporated into his formal works. Wong frequently collaborated with his partner, Miguel Piñero, a poet and one of the leading voices of the Nuyorican movement, which promoted Puerto Rican culture in New York City.
Shortly after finishing college in 1968, Wong made sketches and portraits to earn income, calling himself the “Human Instamatic,” a sly reference to the popular, easy-to-use cameras of the day. This drawing from that period is remarkable, not only for its fine draftsmanship but also for its ability to telegraph the bohemian, louche era—a time when AIDS cut short the lives of so many individuals, including Wong’s.