David Zwirner Gallery is currently showcasing an extensive exhibition of works by the influential artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres, bringing his profound reflections on life, memory, and shared experience to New York. Known for transforming everyday objects into evocative installations, Gonzalez-Torres’s art engages deeply with themes of identity, love, and loss. His “Untitled” (Natural History) (1990), one of the central pieces in this collection, is also featured at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., through July 6, 2025.
Gonzalez-Torres, born in Cuba in 1957 and raised in Puerto Rico, relocated to New York in 1979 to further his art studies at Pratt Institute and the International Center of Photography. A desire to create accessible art is evident in his work, as he stated, “I want to make art for people who watch the Golden Girls and sit in a big, brown, Lazy-boy chair.” This accessibility is a cornerstone of his installations, where everyday objects, from sheets of paper to candy, invite visitors to take part and make the artwork their own.
A prominent example of this interactivity is his installation "Untitled (Public Opinion)," a sprawling 700-pound collection of black licorice sticks. Created as a subtle protest against heightened nationalism during the Gulf War, the rods are meant to resemble missiles. Visitors are free to take pieces, allowing the installation to grow and shrink, representing the transient and fluid nature of public opinion. This format challenges Minimalist ideals of permanence and immutability, opting instead for fragility and continual change.
Gonzalez-Torres’s art defies categorization, merging personal history with broader social and political themes. His installations of paper, candy, and light bulbs break down the barriers between art and viewer, drawing on Minimalism’s emphasis on simplicity while inviting a personal connection. His work gently shifts the private emotions of illness, grief, and memory into the public space, enabling collective reflection on topics often considered intimate and solitary.
In 1995, Gonzalez-Torres’s work was honored with a retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, affirming his impact on contemporary art. Sadly, he passed away in 1996 at the age of 38, but his works continue to resonate. His installations, installed in spaces worldwide, allow viewers to interact with his art in ways that transform it from static objects into evolving experiences, infusing personal memories and emotions into each encounter.
The David Zwirner Gallery’s exhibition offers audiences a unique opportunity to engage with Gonzalez-Torres’s vision of art as something deeply participatory. His use of repetition and everyday materials creates layers of meaning that challenge traditional concepts of art while encouraging visitors to find their connections and interpretations.
Installation view, Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return, National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC, 2024. Photo by Mark Gulezian. Here, the artist's "Untitled" (Portrait of Dad) (1991) is installed to the left of a copy of the
painted portrait of Roosevelt. Another element of "Untitled" (Natural History) where the word PATRIOT is depicted is included on the wall opposite the Roosevelt portrait. Courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery
Beyond galleries, his pieces have been installed in public and institutional settings, from sidewalks to museums. Gonzalez-Torres translated his works into multiple languages to ensure that his messages resonated within various cultural contexts, allowing audiences around the world to find significance in his work.
This exhibition reminds us that Gonzalez-Torres’s art, though born of personal experience, transcends individual narratives, bridging the gap between artist and viewer. The chance to see these pieces is a rare invitation to explore both the vulnerability and resilience within ourselves, as well as within the shared human experience his work so eloquently captures.
Sayart / Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com
