Derek Jarman, the pioneering filmmaker, artist, and writer, left an indelible mark on British culture with his vivid imagination, political activism, and unapologetic queerness. His legacy continues to inspire and challenge us. 

Jarman was born in 1942 in Northwood, Middlesex, and studied painting and stage design at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. He burst onto the film scene in the late 1970s with his provocative and experimental feature films, such as Sebastiane (1976), Jubilee (1978), and The Tempest (1979), which challenged conventional storytelling and sexuality. 

But it was his later works, such as Caravaggio (1986) and Blue (1993), that cemented his reputation as a visionary artist who tackled social and political issues with a bold and poetic style. In Blue, which was made after he was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, Jarman explored his own mortality and the stigma surrounding the disease, using a single blue screen and a powerful voiceover to convey his personal journey and message of hope. 

Jarman’s artistic vision was intimately connected to his sense of place and identity. In 1986, he purchased a derelict fisherman’s cottage at Dungeness, a remote and windswept landscape on the coast of Kent, and transformed it into a unique and enchanting home and garden. The cottage, which he called Prospect Cottage, became a haven for his creativity and a symbol of his connection to nature and the sea. 

But Jarman was not just an artist and a gardener. He was also a passionate activist who used his platform to advocate for social justice and LGBTQ+ rights, and to challenge the government’s inadequate response to the AIDS crisis. In 1987, he co-founded the pressure group AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), which staged protests and direct actions to demand better treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Jarman himself was diagnosed with the disease in 1986, and he documented his experiences in his diary Modern Nature (1991), which combined personal reflections, political commentary, and lyrical descriptions of his garden and the changing seasons. 

Jarman died on February 19, 1994, at the age of 52, but his spirit lives on in his art, his activism, and his legacy of queer creativity and resilience. Prospect Cottage, which he bequeathed to his partner Keith Collins, has become a pilgrimage site for fans and admirers, and a symbol of hope and inspiration for a new generation of LGBTQ+ artists and activists. As we remember Derek Jarman today, we honor his life and his vision, and we continue to fight for the causes he championed: equality, justice, and the right to love and live without fear or shame.