Born
in Guáimaro, Cuba, in 1957, Felix Gonzales-Torres also spent
time growing up in Puerto Rico, where he attended the University
of Puerto Rico in San Juan. He became an American citizen
in 1976 and moved to New York City in 1979, graduating from
the Pratt Institute with a photography degree in 1983. He
received a master’s degree from the International Center
of Photography in 1987. Gonzales-Torres died in 1996 at
the age of 38.
Ideally,
when Untitled (Placebo) is exhibited it should consist
of about 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of candy. The silver cellophane–wrapped
candies can be arranged in a number of ways. Here you see
them spread across the floor in the shape of a rectangle.
The candy is endlessly replenished so that it never disappears
when viewers eat it or take away pieces.
- What
would you think about the work if he used only a handful
of candy on the floor?
- How
might a piece of this candy look different if it were
by itself instead of in a pile with other pieces?
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