“Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)

I recently saw a post about this piece called “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), a sculpture that consists of a pile of brightly wrapped candies. The artist, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, created the piece in memory of his partner Ross who had been diagnosed with and passed away from AIDS that same year (1988). Ideally, the pile of candy weighs 175 pounds, Ross’ body when weight he was healthy. Viewers of the piece are encouraged to take a piece of candy, and as the pile dwindles, it represents Ross’ deteriorating health. The pile is replenished by art handlers.

I found this piece very moving and elegant in its execution. It reminded me of discussions we have had in class about the importance of context since without proper context, this piece loses so much of its meaning.