General Idea: 13 Works That Changed Our Definition of Art

Artist group General Idea—comprised of AA Bronson, Felix Partz, and Jorge Zontal—pushed the boundaries of Canadian art during the 1970s and 80s. Working and living together for twenty-five years, General Idea created internationally acclaimed conceptual art projects, making bold statements about queer identity, commerce, consumption and the media. The group’s artistic statements about queer identity were ahead of their time and the significance and activist dimension of many of their works cannot be understated. For more on General Idea read Sarah E.K. Smith’s General Idea: Life & Work.

Sarah E.K. Smith is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, where she is affiliated with the Transnational Studies Initiative. Her research focuses on contemporary art, with specific interest in socially and politically engaged art in Canada. Smith works as an independent curator and has held the position of Curator of Contemporary Art at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston. Major curatorial projects include I’m Not Myself At All: Deirdre Logue and Allyson Mitchell, 2015.