An Untitled Pile of Symbolic Candy (Also Known As “Ross in L.A.”)
This work, called “Untitled”, is made of 175-tons of candy. Single coloured, same size pieces of real candy. Imaginable, this work is hard to preserve, it will demolish itself after a certain period of time because it is still organic material (or in daily life language: food). Other artists work with perishable goods, on purpose, too. Felix Gonzales-Torres on the other hand, seeks a different kind of non-durable, fleet concept. Instead of letting nature take care of the pile of candies, he encourages the public to take pieces with them!
However, there’s more to this. While the colourful installation seems very Instagramable, the Curban artist does not want visitors to take pictures because of the weightiness behind it. The artwork is called in full “Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)”. The mentioned Ross is Ross Layrock, Torres-Gonzales’ late-partner who slowly died of AIDS. The candy people can take, the pile that slowly because smaller and smaller until it will be completely gone, mirrors the viruses eating Ross’ life away until he died in 1991.
Thinking again about the candy, do you link it to disease? If you get a box of candy from a loved one on Valentin’s Day, are you suffering? You probably don’t, and a great artwork wouldn’t be great if there wasn’t even more meaning to it. The sweet candy represents love. While the candy is eaten, while the body begins to disappear, the love remains.
“While the candy is eaten, while the body begins to disappear, the love remains.”
Unfortunately, millennials will be millennials and the message is buried under the pile and well documented on social media. “The good stuff is”, like symbolism behind any artwork, “always on the bottom”.
Did your opinion on this art installation change after knowing the meaning behind it? Would you take a piece… of Ross *insert horrormovie soundtrack*?
