Photo16 at Milk Studios Recap with Dita Von Teese

On October 6th, Milk Studios presented PHOTO16, the second annual photography auction raising over $300,000 for The AIDS Monument. The theme for PHOTO16 this year was ICONS in honor of The AIDS Monument that will become the world’s iconic landmark in West Hollywood.

Photos/Video by Jack Foster for Pulp Lab

Designed by Daniel Tobin of the Urban Art Projects, The AIDS Monument will have a large digital component offering an integrated technology both on-site and online offering an overall immersive experience for users. Visitors will be able to upload their own memorials including stories, videos, and images of lost ones as well as honor caregivers, community leaders, and activists that continue to fight against HIV/AIDS. The AIDS Monument will act as an information center to the public providing links to information on HIV/AIDS prevention and education while also raising awareness about the history and culture of the disease. The Monument will serve as a physical and digital commemoration encouraging conversation while removing the stigma that HIV/AIDS still carries.

In keeping with the ICONS theme, legendary subjects included David Bowie, Elizabeth Taylor, Prince, Andy Warhol, Cher, Beyoncé, Muhammad Ali, Bette Midler, Tupac—to name a few—who were featured in the highly anticipated photo auction. Photographers such as Bruce Weber, Antonio Lopez, Herb Ritts, Michael Childers, Dennis Hopper, Ed Ruscha, Pamela Hanson, Francois Nars, Timothy White, Greg Gorman and Christopheer Makos were some of the highlights of this year’s auction with over 80 iconic images included in the collection.

Over 90 blue-chip preeminent photography works were available for bidding through auction platform Paddle8 as well as in the LIVE auction portion of the night.