At an undisclosed time, a lamé-clad go-go dancer ascends a light blue platform with a personal listening device. Surrounded by 48 illuminated lightbulbs, listening to music of their own choosing, they dance for approximately five minutes before disappearing again.

Conceived of just months after the artist’s partner, Ross Laycock, died of AIDS, followed by the death of the artist’s father, “Untitled” (Go-Go Dancing Platform) (1991) was made during a moment of profound personal loss and against a backdrop of widespread homophobia, yet offers moments of joy and desire.

Much of Gonzalez-Torres’s work addresses ideas of performativity, and the absence of a body on the platform is as profound as when a dancer is fleetingly present. The conceptual openness and contemporary resonance of his work fosters active engagement, encouraging viewers to make their own associative connections.

One of the artist’s most seminal works, ‘“Untitled” (Go-Go Dancing Platform)’ has been shown in more than 30 exhibitions around the globe, including at the Centre Pompidou, Serpentine Gallery, Fondation Beyeler, and the Hammer Museum. It epitomizes Gonzalez-Torres’s most important contributions to the canon of art history.