Opinion: The Modern Art Debate

Recently, I saw a Tiktok of some college age girls at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. It was them standing next to random pieces throughout the museum. The text overlaying the video simply read:

“Standing in front of art we could make”

Frankly? It irked me beyond belief. Although, yes, the things they stood by seem relatively simple, in context, it’s so much deeper than the surface.

Of course, being the twenty something girl that I am, I went down a rabbit hole of similar tiktoks, just wanting to see if it was a ‘trend’ to make posts like this one.

It seemed like I was right. There were several videos under the category, which I’ve affectionately labeled as “People who hate trying to understand art” or, “People who hate reading the plaques next to art”. 

There were a few pieces in the videos that I’d like to dive into and dissect in this column, because they’re pieces that most definitely could not have been recreated by anyone, let alone someone who’s making videos making fun of the very art in the MoMA.

“Untitled (A Portrait of Ross in L.A.)” – Felix Gonzalez-Torres – 1991

This piece, which I will be referring to as “Untitled” for the sake of ease, was created in 1991. 

“Untitled”, at the surface, appears to museum goers as a large pile of candy. It’s approximately 175lbs of brightly wrapped, logoless candy. Now, I know you’re wondering… It’s candy, what gives? 

I’ll tell you what gives. The 175lbs of candy represent Ross, who was Gonzalez-Torres’s life partner. Ross died of AIDs just a few months before the piece debuted in a gallery. As people visit the exhibit, the taking of the candy is actually encouraged, and the art piece has the potential to be constantly replenished. 

However, it’s technically a political statement on people’s complacent ignorance of the AIDs crisis. Unfortunately, the illness would claim Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s life only a handful of years after Ross’s death. 

At the time of writing this, the piece is in possession of the Chicago Institute of Art, but is not on display. 

“Flag I” – Teresa Margolles – 2009

Much like the previously mentioned piece, “Flag I” also has a seemingly innocent appearance. At its surface, it’s just a dirty flag limply hanging from a post. 

However, this is another artwork that is highly political in nature. The dirtiness of the flag comes from blood found at various outdoor locations along the northern border of Mexico. 

At the time of creation, it was a direct testimony of the lives lost due to the violent tendencies of the cartel ring across Mexico, and particularly, the lives lost when smuggling things to the United States. 

At the end of the day…

Not all art has to have deeply hidden meanings, or political statements behind them. But no matter what, it’s important to at least try to understand the context behind the artwork in front of you, especially before you go posting on TikTok claiming you could make it… because you didn’t, and you couldn’t.