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12 December 2024
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General Idea
"AIDS Stamps"
, 1988
11 x 9.5 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm.)
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General Idea
"AIDS Stamps"
, 1988
11 x 9.5 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm.)
close
General Idea
"AIDS Stamps"
, 1988
11 x 9.5 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm.)
close
General Idea
"AIDS Stamps"
, 1988
11 x 9.5 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm.)
close
Contact the gallery
for more images
View to Scale
Zoom
General Idea
Canadian, 1967–1994
"AIDS Stamps"
,
1988
General Idea
"AIDS Stamps"
, 1988
11 x 9.5 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm.)
close
General Idea
"AIDS Stamps"
, 1988
11 x 9.5 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm.)
close
General Idea
"AIDS Stamps"
, 1988
11 x 9.5 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm.)
close
General Idea
"AIDS Stamps"
, 1988
11 x 9.5 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm.)
close
Contact the gallery
for more images
View to Scale
Zoom
Medium
Offset on perforated paper
Size
11 x 9.5 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm.)
Markings
Signed and numbered by the artist
Price
Price on Request
Contact Gallery About This Work
Caviar20
Toronto
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About this Artwork
Edition
edition of 200
Exhibitions
10/14/2023–12/02/2023 GENERAL IDEA: 25 YEARS 25 WORKS
Image Rights
Self-published
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Description
In 1967, General Idea was founded in Toronto by AA Bronson (b. 1946), Felix Partz (1945-1994), and Jorge Zontal (1944-1994). Over the course of 25 years, they made a significant contribution to postmodern and conceptual art in Canada and beyond.
The group was both prolific and multi-disciplinary long before it became de rigueur. They worked with photography, sculpture, painting, mail art, video, installation, multiples, and performance.
With their subversive approach and interest in parody and appropriation, General Idea addressed a broad range of social (and art-world) issues such as the cult of the artist, mass media, queer identity, and consumerism.
This sheet of stamps is an iteration of their most famous and iconic work. Appropriating Robert Indiana’s “LOVE”, General Idea subverted his masterpiece to read "AIDS" while using the same font and bold color arrangement of red/green/blue as the original. The success of this poignant appropriation led to General Idea creating an ongoing body of work around the idea of "Image Virus".
These postage stamps are arguably one of the best iteration from this era. Similar to a virus, stamps are activated by saliva (a bodily fluid) and then employed to travel to another (often remote) individual. The stamps are also an unconscious nod to the early days of General Idea when they were engaged with mail art. Amusingly Robert Indiana also designed a genuine American postage stamp using his LOVE design in the early 1970's.
Condition: Very good
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