Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)
In 1991, Félix González-Torres, a Cuban-born American visual artist, revealed a unique artwork to the public for the first time. The artwork in question, titled Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), consisted of 79 kg of candy piled up in a corner of the gallery. While its significance may not be immediately apparent, the artwork is a tribute to an extraordinary individual, commemorating a beautiful yet tragic story.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, installation view of Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), 1991. Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, 2016. Photography by Yan Tao.
The pile of candies, each wrapped in colorful wrappers, invites gallery visitors to take a piece, gradually diminishing the weight of the artwork. The specified weight, 79 kg, remains constant, while everything else fluctuates based on participant interaction. The gallery replenishes the candies to maintain the original weight of the artwork. But why is this significant? The weight is not arbitrary; it is a deliberate representation with deeper meaning.
Installation view of Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), 1991. The Art Institute of Chicago, 2011. Photography by Clare Britt.
Installation view of Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), 1991. ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, 2019. Photography by Lise Balsby.
In the same year that the artwork was unveiled, González-Torres's partner, Ross Laycock, succumbed to complications related to AIDS. The weight of 79 kg serves as a poignant reference to Ross’s healthy weight, which dwindled as a result of the virus. While the artwork avoids direct representation, it serves as a profound exploration of queer desire, bodies, and history, encapsulating González-Torres’s personal experience of AIDS and the broader AIDS Crisis. Interpreted as an “allegorical portrait” of Laycock, the work offers a departure from the typical media portrayals of the AIDS Crisis, which often reduce queer bodies and lives to statistics or sensationalized imagery. Instead, González-Torres’s artwork refuses to conform to this narrative, offering a nuanced and deeply personal reflection on loss, love, and resilience in the face of tragedy.
The artwork is part of González-Torres’s larger series of “candy works,” which began in 1990 and comprises twenty pieces with similar concepts. Some other notable works in this series include Untitled (Lover Boys) and Untitled (Welcome Back Heroes). In each instance, viewers are encouraged to take a piece of candy, to consume, to keep, or to share. This interactive element poses the risk of depleting the installation entirely, but the artist’s instructions dictate that the candies be replenished continuously, ensuring an endless supply. However, Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) differs in that it comes with specific instructions from the artist to maintain its weight at an ideal 79 kg, serving as a memorial to his partner. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Installation view of Untitled (Lover Boys), 1991. The Institute of Contemporary Art, 2012. Photography by Charles Mayer.
Installation view of Untitled (Welcome Back Heroes), 1991. L’Espace d’Art Contemporain La Tôlerie, 2008. Image courtesy of L’Espace d’Art Contemporain La Tôlerie.
