"Untitled"

The self-portrait “Untitled” is composed of words and dates that are installed as a friezelike text near the ceiling of this gallery. This uncommon and deceptively simple approach exemplifies the quiet, conceptual nature of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s work. “Untitled” interweaves personal milestones with communal events of our historical era. The artist did not limit the inscriptions to events that occurred between his birth and death. In fact, as the co-owner of the work, the Art Institute must add and subtract events, thereby granting the installation—and the artist himself—a form of renewable life. This piece reminds us that all human identity is mutable and open-ended.