At unspecified times at Hauser & Wirth’s stand in Art Basel’s Unlimited section, a local go-go dancer—clad in skimpy silver briefs, athletic socks, sneakers and an iPod with wired headphones—has a solo silent disco atop a small lit stage for five minutes before quietly making his way back into the crowd.
“Untitled” (Go-Go Dancing Platform) was created by Felix Gonzalez-Torres in 1991, shortly after the deaths of both his partner and his father. “It’s about renewal and rebirth—and understanding masculinity,” says Cristopher Canizares, a partner at Hauser & Wirth. “There’s a joy in being lucky enough to be there when it happens. It’s a little bit like falling in love.”