Felix Gonzalez-Torres — Untitled (Portrait of Ross LA), 1991, seen at MOMA. Portrait of partner Ross Laycock who died from AIDS related illness in 1991. Patrons are encouraged to remove one piece of candy that denotes the downward progression of Laycock’s illness (decay and erosion). This powerful piece is applicable to anyone who has a friend or family member going through a terminal illness – watching their health decline daily.
Unfortunately there is an endless supply of people suffering from debilitating medical issues which is punctuated with the museum replenishing the pile at the end of the day for the next patrons to experience the piece.
There was another another version of this exhibit in the Guggenheim museum many, many years ago, which had candy placed on each level of museum that drove home the point more since there were so many piles.
