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 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.
Thematic continuity was a key element in General Idea's work. Early on they introduced talismans or logos that they would revisit and re-envision, including skulls, ziggurats, and poodles.
This print comes from "Fear Management": a set of 8 prints that celebrates some of General Idea's defining and most beloved motifs by situating them on a crest. This showcases their clever blend of historical fantasy and invented patrimony.
Many of these self-mythologizing crests debuted in 1986 during their exhibition at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo entitled: The Armoury of the 1984 Miss General Idea Pavillion.
This series is a defining example of one of General Idea's most iconic motifs, the crest, which showcases their clever blend of historical fantasy and invented patrimony.
Centered on a hand-painted backdrop, "Down the Drink" showcases a cobalt crest featuring three horizontal cocktail glasses, all tipped over, with their contents spilling out in a cascade of voluminous droplets. The droplets pour over into a body of rolling waves, where their peaks are disguised (or possibly reveal themselves) as threatening shark fins.
No stranger to double entendres, General Idea uses the phrase "Down the Drink" to describe disposing of the liquid, rather than joyously consuming it. It is worth mentioning that the idea of beverages and consumption make repeated appearances in General Idea's oeuvre including "Nazi Milk", "Magic Palette", and "Test Tube".
Individual prints from "Fear Management" rarely come to market. While we are offering this specific print individually, we also have a complete unframed set available for purchase.
Condition: very good
