Felix Gonzalez-Torres, “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), 1991, Candies individually wrapped in multi-color cellophane, endless supply. Dimensions vary with installation; ideal weight 175 lbs.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres - written by Sue-Na Gay
Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996) was a Cuban-born American Conceptual artist whose post-minimalist installations present hauntingly poignant ideas within their relative simplicity.
I can’t recall when or where I first encountered his work, but I continue to be moved by it. Often cited as a precursor to what would later be termed Relational Aesthetics (i) , for his frequent involvement of otherwise passive viewers, Gonzalez-Torres was influenced, among other things, by Bertolt Brecht’s theory of epic theatre (ii) , the rise of cultural/political activism in art, and the loss of his longtime partner, all of which come together in his work to capture and explore feelings of loss, love, depletion, emptiness, and the passage of time.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, “Untitled” (Perfect Lovers), 1991, clocks, paint on wall. Overall dimensions 14 x 28 x 2 3/4" (35.6 x 71.2 x 7 cm)
In arguably his best known installation, “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), which was created shortly after his partner, Ross Laycock, lost his prolonged battle with AIDS in 1991, viewers are encouraged to freely take from a ‘spill’ of 175lbs of hard candy (Ross’s ideal bodyweight), continuously refilled each day, therefore gradually diminishing the size of Ross’s allegorical body over and over again in perpetuity. The work reflects on both the nature of slowly dying and the perpetual feelings of love, loss, and mourning in those who are left behind. Ross is both immortal and eternally fading, the candy providing a bittersweet dissemination of his essence to all who partake. The work in and of itself is simply a pile of sweets and yet when activated by participants, it symbolically becomes so much more.
Similarly, in “Untitled” (Perfect Lovers), two identical clocks are set to the same time and mounted side by side where they are allowed to run continuously in unison until they eventually fall out of sync and stop at which point both clocks must be repaired or replaced and then re-synchronized. The work references the readymades of the early 20th century, in its reliance on commercially produced clocks, while remaining potent and meaningful in its affect. It acknowledges that at some point one will stop while the other continues, symbolizing the eventual, inevitable end –slowly drifting apart over time until death or separation occur. In his own words, Gonzalez-Torres reflected:
“Time is something that scares me… or used to. The piece I made with the two clocks was the scariest thing I have ever done. I wanted to face it. I wanted those two clocks right in front of me, ticking. The idea of pieces being endless happened at that point because I was losing someone very important.” (iii)
I find it particularly interesting to reflect on these works and Gonzalez-Torres’s many others participatory ‘spills’ and ‘stacks’ in a time when I, like many others, am currently preoccupied with the passage of time, and the new “normals” of social interaction. How to do such works persist in a state of isolation, do they maintain their meaning when left alone? Perhaps only time will tell.
Works Cited:
(i) Bourriaud, Nicholas. Relational Aesthetics. Les Presses du réel, 2002.
(ii) COLLECTION ONILNE: Felix Gonzalez-Torres. THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION. 08 05 2020 <https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/felix- gonzalez-torres>.
(iii) Nickas, Robert. “Felix Gonzalez-Torres”; Flash Art International N.161, November-December 1991.