Kate Just, A Sign of the Times: A knitted translation of Felix Gonzalez–Torres Untitled (billboard of an empty bed), (1991), Third Avenue and East 137 Street, Bronx, New York, referencing the photo by Peter Muscato (2026)
Hand knitted wool and acrylic yarn, timber, canvas
86 x 67 x 2.5cm
This work references Felix Gonzalez–Torres’ Untitled (billboard of an empty bed, 1991.
Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996) was a Cuban-born American visual artist most known for his ephemeral, minimal and conceptual installations such as a pile of candy in a corner, a stack of posters on the floor, or strings of lights dangling from a ceiling. Torres was a proud gay man and often explored sexuality, queerness, love and death in works.
His billboard works were made between 1989 to 1995 and were installed in multiple locations at one time. His work Untitled (billboard of an empty bed), (1991), featured an image of his own empty, double bed displayed at the Museum of Modern Art and on twenty-four city billboards through to summer of 1992.
The depression in the centre of each pillow, and the rumpled nature of the sheets, suggests a recent presence of two bodies in the bed. The vulnerability and intimacy of this bed sits in contrast to its public location as a billboard. The piece was also created in the year Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ lover Ross Laycock died of AIDS-related causes; the work became a poetic evocation of this immeasurable loss. These billboards strongly defined Gonzalez-Torres’ career until he died of AIDS-related complications five years later.
This is my only homage to an artist in this show that does not feature explicit use of text. Gonzalez-Torres is a powerful artist because he communicates such a strong message of loss, compassion and love without any words at all.
