aka Moe Berg

popculturecooking:

Untitled (Portrait of Ross)

Cuban-born artist Felix Gonzales-Torres was part of the process art movement. The idea is that a piece can’t ever be quite finished, and it’s more about the process than the final product. Portrait of Ross is such an artwork – and truly heartbreaking.  

When Felix’s partner, Ross, was diagnosed with HIV, he weighed exactly 175 pounds. Felix then placed 175 pounds of candy in the corner of a gallery. Each visitor was encouraged to take a piece of candy with them, as the diminishing pile represented Ross’s weight loss and eventually his death. It was also a gift from the artist, allowing the viewer to partake in the sweetness of their relationship. Each night the candy was removed, weighed and set back to the original amount.

Ross passed away in 1991, as did Felix in 1996. Weeping as I’m typing.

Coincidentally, I saw this piece on Saturday during an impromptu I’ve-got-5-hours-to-kill-in-Chicago visit to the Art Institute and was urged by the smiling gallery guard to take some candy so I could “participate in the art.”

Without any backstory, people were grinning from ear to ear as they helped themselves.