About the Work This work is one of a series known as the Black Paintings, made between 1986-90 using materials including black oil paint, tar and various objects gathered from the beach in Dungeness or from his trips to Camden Market with Keith Collins. These works, produced in his painting studio in Prospect Cottage, consider the relationship between nature, politics, sex, religion, illness and death. Jarman was diagnosed with HIV in 1986 and was a fervent campaigner against the homophobia of Margaret Thatcher’s government. This painting was made in 1988, the year Clause 28 was enacted stating that local authorities shall not 'promote homosexuality'. The 'He-man' toy (used in several assemblages from this period) is armed with a tube of KY jelly and set against gilded cans, which Jarman found discarded on the beach in Dungeness. This work is included in the current exhibition at The Garden Museum, London, ‘Derek Jarman : My Gardens Boundaries are the Horizon’ https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/derek-jarman-my-gardens-boundaries-are-the-horizon/