Chicago: Caleb Hazen
The piece that I have chosen to describe is Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ untitled work of art, sometimes referred to as “Portrait of Ross in L.A”. Essentially, it is a 175-lb pile of candy that viewers are encouraged to interact with by snatching some of the individually wrapped candies. Underneath the surface, however, it is an allegorical installation that represents Felix’s partner’s ideal body weight, who suffered from AIDS. By taking from the pile, the audience is slowly diminishing the weight of the pile, as his partner’s body weight also diminished. I find this piece especially interesting, partly because of what it represents, and partly because of a contextual influence at the time of viewing. We had just been discussing a ‘what-if’ of art: what if every time someone looked at a piece it took away from it– took away from the meaning, the value, or from the overall striking features of the piece. For instance, for every time someone looked at a sculpture, a tiny chunk of it chipped off and blew away into dust. Of course this was all a dreamer’s speculation, but soon after we happened upon this piece, in which you were encouraged to take a little bit of the art with you, and by doing so, not only are you not taking meaning from it, but you are adding meaning to it. In a way, this piece is the opposite of culturally widespread art– anyone can get a mug with a Van Gogh on it, but to experience this piece, you most travel to its location and actually ingest it. The very idea is fresh and exciting. I enjoyed seeing some people look at it and walk by, not quite sure how to interpret it. The temptation to take one of the candies was apparent, but the thought went against their culturally embedded ideas of art.
by
Caleb Hazen
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