Patrick Michael Baird September 24, 2003Junior Seminar Page 2 / 2

Felix Gonzalez-Torres also transformed the role of the viewer in the artarena. We, as viewers of art, are taught from an early age that works of art inmuseums are meant to be looked at, not touched. Gonzalez-Torres completelydisregards this notion and often invites viewers to touch, taste, take, and arrangehis installations. His disregard for the ‘rules’ of the museum and gallery spacetranscends the role of the viewerand their ability to experience hiswork. Two examples of works byFelix Gonzalez-Torres that illustratethis idea are his candy spills andpaper stacks which are typicallyinstalled with an ideal weight andarrangement in mind with regardsto the installation space. Often the candies in the spills will be wrapped in aspecific color or material (often with text written on them) and with a particularflavor in mind that will enhance the viewer’s experience of the spill. The paperstacks are meant to be taken and give the viewer this sense of tourism and evokethis ‘souvenir’-like experience in their ability to take something out of thegallery/museum space.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ ability toevoke the human experience in his workis something that I strive for as an artistand I often look to his art work as asource of inspiration because I think hiswork is extremely unique in the role itplays as an agent in evoking the personaland human experience.

Patrick Michael Baird September 24, 2003Junior Seminar Page 1 / 2

Felix Gonzalez-Torres is the artist that has made the most profoundimpact on me as a viewer (or in many cases of his art, a recipient) of art. Whatreally draws me into Gonzalez-Torres’ work on both an emotional level and interms of aesthetic appreciation is his unique ability and execution inincorporating the human experience into his work. His works, regardless ofmedium, generally encapsulate the common aspects of life such as love,romance, politics, health, and death in one form or another.

Often Felix Gonzalez-Torres’photographs often illustrateintensely romantic and universalimagery that almost anyone canidentify with because of themetaphorical imagery he creates.One of his most well known imagesis a photograph that appeared on24 b i l lboards throughoutManhattan of a bed with all whitelinens. The bed in this photographhas two pillows with the imprintsof heads in them and the linens arewrinkled and arranged as if twopeople were in i t . Theinterpretation of this image isentirely up to the viewer, like most works by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, and to thegeneral public evokes a level of romanticism (because it reminds the viewer of acurrent or previous relationship/lover) or mourning (because it reminds theviewer of a lover who has passed.) For those individuals who are informed in thehistorical and social contexts Gonzalez-Torres often addresses in his workrealizes that he imagery extends much further in his ability to evoke a discussionof the division of the private/public sphere (referencing historical court casessuch as Bowers v. Hardwick), homoerotic desire, as well as death.