. . . circle through New York Brings Felix Gonzalez-Torres Sculpture to ISAW

This article first appeared in ISAW Newsletter 18 (Spring 2017).

Felix Gonzalez-Torres “Untitled” (Public Opinion), 1991 Black rod licorice candies individually wrapped in cellophane Endless supply, ideal weight: 700 lbs (317.5 kg), dimensions variable Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Purchased with funds contributed by the Louis and Bessie Adler Foundation, Inc., and the National Endowment for the Arts Museum Purchase Program, 1991 Artists Lenka Clayton and Jon Rubin have drawn an imaginary circle through Harlem, the South Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan’s Upper East Side and invited six public venues along the circle’s path—including ISAW—to participate in a Social Practice Art initiative. A co-creation of the artists and each partner institution, each venue will share an aspect that represents its identity (material or social), and that thing or activity will rotate among the locations over a period of six months.

As part of ISAW’s participation in . . . circle through New York, a project commissioned by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, we will exhibit Untitled (Public Opinion) by Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957–1996) in our gallery this July. A 700-pound pile of black licorice candy, this conceptual and participatory sculpture from the Guggenheim’s permanent collection will be interpreted by ISAW’s Exhibitions Team with reference to conceptions of the polis in antiquity and how notions of a community have changed over time. We look forward to welcoming our collaborators from the Guggenheim and discussions that bridge the ancient world and contemporary art.