Felix Gonzalez-Torres was born in Guáimaro, Cuba, in 1957. He earned a BFA in photography from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, in 1983. Printed Matter, Inc. in New York hosted his first solo exhibition the following year. After obtaining an MFA from the International Center of Photography and New York University in 1987, he worked as an adjunct art instructor at New York University until 1989. Throughout his career, Gonzalez-Torres’s involvement in social and political causes as an openly gay man fueled his interest in the overlap of private and public life. From 1987 to 1991, he was part of Group Material, a New York-based art collective whose members worked collaboratively to initiate community education and cultural activism. His aesthetic project was, according to some scholars, related to Bertolt Brecht’s theory of epic theater, in which creative expression transforms the spectator from an inert receiver to an active, reflective observer and motivates social action. Employing simple, everyday materials (stacks of paper, puzzles, candy, strings of lights, beads) and a reduced aesthetic vocabulary reminiscent of both Minimalism and Conceptual art to address themes such as love and loss, sickness and rejuvenation, gender and sexuality, Gonzalez-Torres asked viewers to participate in establishing meaning in his works.
In his “dateline” pieces, begun in 1987, Gonzalez-Torres assembled lists of various dates in random order interspersed with the names of social and political figures and references to cultural artifacts or world events, many of which related to political and cultural history. Printed in white type on black sheets of paper, these lists of seeming non sequiturs prompted viewers to consider the relationships and gaps between the diverse references as well the construction of individual and collective identities and memories. Gonzalez-Torres also produced dateline “portraits,” consisting of similar lists of dates and events related to the subjects’ lives. In Untitled (Portrait of Jennifer Flay) (1992), for example, “A New Dress 1971” lies next to “Vote for Women, NZ 1893.”
In his “dateline” pieces, begun in 1987, Gonzalez-Torres assembled lists of various dates in random order interspersed with the names of social and political figures and references to cultural artifacts or world events, many of which related to political and cultural history. Printed in white type on black sheets of paper, these lists of seeming non sequiturs prompted viewers to consider the relationships and gaps between the diverse references as well the construction of individual and collective identities and memories. Gonzalez-Torres also produced dateline “portraits,” consisting of similar lists of dates and events related to the subjects’ lives. In Untitled (Portrait of Jennifer Flay) (1992), for example, “A New Dress 1971” lies next to “Vote for Women, NZ 1893.”
This photo catches my eye, because it's a fragment of life, of everyday things, the candy can certainly be used to eat, the string light seems to be a fashion element in this photo, perhaps it's a fortuitous coincidence, but it inspires me to explore other ways for sculpture to interact with human beings, it can be seen as a stage set design, or a performance prop.
There are also works by contemporary artists who use everyday objects to create unusual art forms. For example, Andy Warhol used canned goods and hamburgers to represent consumer culture; Mr. and Mrs. Christo used fabric and rope to wrap various buildings and landscapes; and Lee Woo-hwan used candy and chocolates to create edible sculptures. All these artists use ordinary objects to create extraordinary works of art, and use interesting means to interact with the public.
There are also works by contemporary artists who use everyday objects to create unusual art forms. For example, Andy Warhol used canned goods and hamburgers to represent consumer culture; Mr. and Mrs. Christo used fabric and rope to wrap various buildings and landscapes; and Lee Woo-hwan used candy and chocolates to create edible sculptures. All these artists use ordinary objects to create extraordinary works of art, and use interesting means to interact with the public.
I want there to be movement and drama, and in the future I want to use my work as a social experiment or a kind of public art, to make your work more interactive and participatory.
