A Rare Gift from the Tropics

Living and working together in the context of Toronto's counterculture From the late 1960s, AA Bronson, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal formalized their collaboration in 1969 under the name General Idea. From their first projects, such as the staging of the Miss General Idea contest in 1970, to their militant initiatives around the AIDS crisis, General Idea has explored multimedia, conceptual and performative work as a tool for engage in common culture and its repressions. The group's drawings, the vast majority of which have never been seen, are less known. The drawings featured in A Rare Gift of the Tropics were all produced by Jorge Zontal, during the group's brainstorming meetings; However, given the principle of co-signature governing the activities of General Idea (and as demonstrated by the signature "GI" affixed by Zontal shortly before his death), as well as the circumstances in which they were executed, they are considered to be collaborative. The drawings become more regular from 1985, the year the group left Toronto, which felt increasingly isolated from the art world, for New York. As the 1980s progressed, The initial joy of living is overshadowed by the omnipresence of AIDS. Although made by hand, the repetition of specific patterns follows a logic that refers to General Idea's penchant for mass reproduction and which makes echo the virality of their works on AIDS. In their mutability and their continuous flow, the drawings are a fascinating window into artistic vision of General Idea and their unique approach to the notion of paternity, exposing the inadequacy of representation while acknowledging its urgency.