Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)

*Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)* is a 1991 installation by Felix Gonzalez-Torres consisting of a 175-pound pile of multicolored candies. The 175 pounds represents the healthy body weight of the artist's partner, Ross Laycock, before he died of AIDS-related complications. Visitors are invited to take a piece of candy, symbolizing the gradual weight loss and physical deterioration Ross experienced before his death.

Ross refers to Ross Laycock, the long-time partner of Cuban-American artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Laycock died of AIDS-related complications in 1991, the same year the artwork was created. The interactive nature of the piece serves as a poignant memorial to his life and their relationship.

The artwork is interactive, and museum visitors are actively encouraged to take and eat a piece of candy from the pile. As the candy is taken, the pile shrinks, mirroring the physical wasting away of Ross Laycock due to AIDS. The museum periodically replenishes the pile back to its original 175 pounds, symbolizing eternal renewal and the persistence of life.

The artwork consists solely of a pile of commercially wrapped, multicolored hard candies. Initially, the candies are piled to weigh exactly 175 pounds, representing the healthy body weight of the artist's partner. The cellophane-wrapped candies are typically arranged in a corner of the gallery space, waiting to be interacted with by the audience.