"Untitled" (Go-Go Dancing Platform) Felix Gonzalez-Torres

“Above all else, it is about leaving a mark that I existed: I was here. I was hungry. I was defeated. I was happy. I was sad. I was in love. I was afraid. I was hopeful. I had an idea and I had a good purpose and that’s why I made works of art.”

Felix Gonzalez-Torres

Gonzalez-Torres is one of the most influential artists of the late 20th century. Born in Guáimaro, Cuba, the artist studied at the University of Puerto Rico before moving to New York City. His deeply political and personal work was informed by broader conceptual and minimalist movements, created in the midst of the AIDS epidemic.

“Untitled” (Go-Go Dancing Platform) is one of the artist’s most significant artworks, completed after the death of his partner, Ross Laycock, from complications due to AIDS. The painted blue platform with 48 light bulbs becomes a stage for a dancer once a day at unscheduled times. Listening to their own music on headphones, the unchoreographed dances radiate the joy and open vulnerability of queer dance club culture. When left unoccupied, the platform becomes a site of profound absence and grief, serving as a distinct reminder of loss. At the same time, the empty platform offers the potential for activation, hopefully awaiting its next dancer.