General Idea: Visionary Provocateurs
ACI releases e-book on General Idea
On May 19, the Art Canada Institute launched General Idea: Life & Work by Sarah E.K. Smith. Controversial and revolutionary, General Idea (1969–1994) created a platform for social change through the group’s inventive performances, installations, paintings, sculptures, and photography—and its legendary AIDS campaign. Author Sarah E.K. Smith reveals General Idea’s complex oeuvre with incredible detail, deconstructing each nuance and interpretation.
General Idea, One Year of AZT, 1991, 1,825 units of vacuum-formed styrene with vinyl wall-mounted capsules, 12.7 x 31.7 x 6.3 cm each, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.