#anna valerius

[euphoriehier]

Here is a modest cover for a small fanfiction written in collaboration

[annavart]

An Essay on Felix Gonzalez-Torres! Enjoy!!!

NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT COPY AND PASTE ANYTHING. THIS IS AN ORIGINAL ESSAY, WITH ALL SOURCES CITED. PLEASE DO NOT STEAL. 

(Photograph from Art Institute of Chicago’s website. http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/152961)

Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ artwork, “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), makes a socio-political statement about AIDS by utilizing public interaction with his readymade sculptures, and the passage of time.

The sculpture, composed solely of cellophane-wrapped hard candies, represents his partner, Ross Laycock, who died due to an AIDS-related disease, according to Wiki Art. The sculpture’s beginning mass of 175 pounds is approximately Ross’ healthy weight before contracting HIV, according to The Art Story. viewers are encouraged to each take a piece of candy from the pile. As viewers interact with it, the candy gradually disappears into nothing, symbolizing Ross’ slow decline before passing away. The experience serves as a communion in which viewers are invited to take a sampling of the sweetness of their relationship to enjoy for themselves. Gonzalez-Torres utilizes viewer participation to address the concept of universality.

According to Walker Art, “His [artwork is] democratic in accessibility …”. This is because the materials he uses are easily graspable when vast ideas are applied to them. The specific materials alone that he uses contribute to viewer-engagement that is full of contradicting realizations that lead to communal solidarity, humility, and understanding. He purposefully evokes this awareness of being, doing so to comment on the lack of visibility for people suffering from AIDS. Viewers encounter the stigmatized subject of AIDS, partnered with the automatically familiarized candy that is put before them, and this combination creates ideal circumstances to form new views.

Using the concept of forming relationships between the medium and viewers to propose new thought processes, he considers how the public will interpret the theme through their actions. Inviting his audience to indulge in the sweetness that he experienced with Ross, Gonzalez-Torres invites the viewer to form their own memories. Viewers embrace this experience and marvel at the concept, but they are clueless to the impact they’ve made, and how they have detracted from the work of art in whole due to their own indulgence. Through this experience, the viewers become active participants in the silently complacent destruction of the gay community through negligence and an ignorance of personal indirect impact on the HIV/AIDS crisis. This idea is supported by The Art Story which also explains what caused this lack of consideration and support. The following quotation explains. “Many stigmatized the disease as ‘gay cancer,’ leading to the failure to adequately support research or treatments, and ultimately, to thousands of early deaths.”

Through considering the impact of time, according to Art Babble, Gonzalez-Torres could visualize the gradual progression of Ross’ physical decline. Using this visualization of underlying destruction, he memorialized the experiences of degradation the gay community experienced due to societal ignorance on AIDS. Although the portrait is continually depleted by viewers, Gonzalez-Torres utilizes the continual renewal of the candy pile to immortalize his message alongside his partner.

According to Wiki Art, he honors Ross and all victims of AIDS by addressing a larger social and political issue. He addresses the overarching negligence directed towards the gay community that contributed to the victims’, Ross’ and Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ own early passing.

About his socio-politically active art, Gonzalez-Torres is quoted saying this in an Art Press interview with Robert Storr: “Let's consider the most successful of ... political artists ... Why are they the most successful political artists? Because they don't look political!” Felix Gonzalez-Torres passed away in 1996 creating many artworks like “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) in the time before his death, continuing to discreetly address socio-political issues giving these issues their own voice through his artwork.