General Idea was formed in Toronto, Canada by Jorge Zontal, Felix Partz, and AA Bronson. They produced work in numerous mediums, foreshadowing relational aesthetics and institutional critique while addressing various aspects of mass media, consumer culture, social inequalities, queer identity, the art economy, and the AIDS crisis. As an aspect of their artistic output, General Idea founded FILE Magazine and Art Metropole, a non-profit artist-run centre with a focus on contemporary art in formats predisposed to circulation and dissemination.