At first glance, the exterior of Buckhead Art & Company—a brick-and-mortar gallery located in one of Atlanta’s most upscale neighborhoods—appears to be more of the same—a posh offering for wealthy clientele that most residents 30 minutes south of I-85 would deem inaccessible. Yet, once inside, that perceived narrative is immediately disrupted. The space, its owner—Karimah McFarlane—along with 30 portraits of people living with HIV and allies in “Stories of Triumph,” a photo exhibition by photographer Sean Black currently showing in observance of World AIDS Day on December 1, are ingredients in an artistic gumbo that is Black, Southern, accessible, and deeply committed to fostering community.

Curated in partnership with Emory COMPASS Center and Gilead’s COMPASS Initiative, the exhibition is the culmination of a three-month road trip by photographer Sean Black to capture the strength and resilience of people living with HIV as the virus continues to have a disproportionate impact in the South. Black joins a growing list of 30 artists represented at Buckhead Art & Company, most of whom are from the Atlanta area and exist within a marginalized community.

For McFarlane, a Decatur, GA native who acquired the contemporary art gallery in June, the exhibition is personal.

“I have people in my family who, unfortunately, have been impacted by the virus,” McFarlane tells GLAAD. “The stigma they get or have lived with has been eye-opening for me, so to even be able to shed light on these stories feels very personal to me and my family.”

In a previous interview with GLAAD, Leisha McKinley Beach, an Atlanta-based national HIV consultant who appears in the photo exhibition, said there is still a stigma associated with HIV.

“When we…