Felix Gonzalez-Torres: “Untitled” (L.A.)

Gonzalez-Torres addressed universal themes such as loss, impermanence, love, illness, rejuvenation, and hope in his interactive artworks.  Focusing on the simplicity of a single object arranged in large quantities, the artist invited viewers to participate in establishing meaning in the works of art.  This intellectual and physical inclusion of the audience defied conventional notions of art’s preciousness, as visitors were asked to touch, even consume the work of art.

“Untitled” (LA) was created by Gonzalez-Torres as a response to his personal grief over his partner’s death from AIDS.  The artist stated, “I never stopped loving Ross.  Just because he’s dead doesn’t mean I stopped loving him. I make work because I still have some hope.” Although the artist created this installation during the height of the AIDS epidemic, his artworks continue to resonate with us today as we all struggle to cope with our acute sense of loss for those no longer present, our disconnection to others and the world, and our lives forever altered by the current pandemic.  The installation and its interactivity is also a celebration of generosity and love as Gonzalez-Torres offered a universal and enduring message of hope, “We need our own space to think and digest what we see.  And we also have to trust the viewer and trust the power of the object.  And the power is in simple things.  I like the kind of clarity that that brings to thought.  It keeps thought from being opaque.”

In Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s installations, the artist ceded control of the final form of a work to the staff who displayed it at their museum. Even today, the way you experience the artwork at the Boise Art Museum is unique to this space. Only the type and color of candy is specified to the art museum by the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation. Our arrangement of the artwork is as intentional and symbolic as the replenishment of the candies, mindful and meditative.

One of our goals in presenting “Untitled” (L.A.) is to restore public engagement with BAM after its long absence, due to the pandemic, which has caused us a tremendous sense of loss. It is our hope that by interacting with the installation and participating in the associated educational programs we have developed in collaboration with community partners, visitors will experience a greater connection with us as we collectively heal during a time of grief, isolation, anxiety, and depression, and as we seek solace and meaning together. By taking a candy from “Untitled” (L.A.), your participation creates the work’s meaning and shared sense of community.