General Idea

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General Idea was a collective of three Canadian artists: Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal and AA Bronson, who were active from 1967 to 1994. As pioneers of early conceptual and media-specific art, their collaboration became a model for artist-initiated activities and to this day has a prominent influence on subsequent generations of visual artists.

At first General Idea worked in Toronto . From 1986 to 1993 they were active in Toronto and New York and returned to Toronto for the final phase of the collective.

General Ideas work explores forms of popular and media culture, including beauty pageants, boutiques, television talk shows, and mass media. Her work often manifested itself in unconventional formats such as postcards, prints, posters, wallpaper, balloons, combs and needles. From 1987 to 1994 General Idea addressed the AIDS crisis with a work block containing around 75 temporary works of art in public space .

Her largest installation was One Year of AZT / One Day of AZT , which was shown at the Museum of Modern Art , New York and is now in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada .

Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal died of AIDS in 1994 . AA Bronson continues to work as a freelance artist and was Director of Printed Matter, Inc. in New York from 2006 to 2011. The General Idea Archive is now in the Library of the National Gallery of Canada, Toronto.

Selected exhibitions

2016

  • “General Idea: Broken Time / Tiempo Partido”, curated by Agustín Pérez Rubio, Museo Jumex, Mexico City , Mexico

2013

  • "General Idea", Taro Nasu Gallery, Tokyo , Japan
  • “General Idea P is for Poodle”, May 36 Gallery, Zurich , Switzerland
  • "General Idea P is for Poodle", Esther Schipper, Berlin , Germany

2011/12

swell

External websites