Courtesy of Exposure Festival By jacksonphotographix.com

A Tight Spot | Artist AA Bronson demonstrates his command of negative space during his lecture at Milner Library.

Edmonton was lucky enough last Saturday to receive a visit from the influential artist AA Bronson. Jill and Mandy were lucky enough to attend his lecture at Stanley Milner Library.

Mandy: Okay: first off, a little background for those unfamiliar with AA Bronson. He is one of the three artists who made up the group General Idea, which formed in 1969 and lasted until 1994, when the other two members, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal, passed away. Working in Toronto and then New York, the trio was incredibly influential in establishing and supporting those cities’ queer art scene, repeatedly bringing sexuality to the forefront of their work. Bronson has continued on as a solo artist, and was here in Edmonton to give a lecture as a part of the Exposure Queer Arts and Culture Festival.

Jill: I have to admit, I had never heard of AA Bronson or General Idea before your anxious “get-there-in-five-minutes” phone call! But it was obvious just from his lecture that Bronson is quite the character. A middle-aged man with a giant beard, dressed in black with thick-rimmed glasses, greeted us with stories about his memories of being a kid in Edmonton (he lived here for all of one year between the ages of four and five) before plunging head-first into his work with General Idea. I liked the man right away.

Mandy: And are you not glad I called you? AA Bronson is kind of a legend. The work that General Idea created was revolutionary: no one at the time was making art as self-identified “queer artists,” and certainly no one was making art about being gay. Can you imagine, even in the ’70s and ’80s, how difficult that must have been? But I guess that’s part of what really gave their work such power — no one else had said these things in a public arena before.

Jill: Oh, of course I’m glad you phoned! I think what was so interesting about General Idea’s work was how it took so long for the media or critics to give the sexual subject matter the group worked with the credibility it clearly needed. But more than General Idea’s work, I was much more interested in the things Bronson is doing now as a solo artist, following the deaths of his two partners and close friends from AIDS. During their sicknesses, he took on the primary role as his dying friends’ caregiver, prompting him to learn all kinds of homeopathic remedies and healing methods. I found it very interesting that this was the aspect of his experience that he used in his solo work.

Mandy: It’s incredible that he was able to take that experience and pull something positive out of it. Bronson’s use of the specific term “healer” stands out as significant to me. There’s a certain amount of tragic irony there because, of course, he could not heal them. What that term implies, and his choice to use it to describe himself and his practice, is kind of heartbreaking. I couldn’t help thinking during the lecture that this man really survived something of an epidemic. It was odd to hear him describe himself as a negative person, considering that he’s still working, still making art, still supporting and encouraging the next generation of artists.

Jill: The “negative thoughts” — that was great. It’s easy for people to tell you to think positive when things are just awful; this was his way of allowing himself to feel crappy. But in his case, that wasn’t the only thing he felt. He is very supportive of community, of other artists, of young people, of diversity, and this was very clear throughout his lecture as he showed large clips of emerging artists’ work alongside his own. This was a very remarkable aspect of his character, and in a way reflected his role as a “healer” in many different senses — spiritual, physical, artistic, communal, humanitarian.

Mandy: I loved the way he talked about Printed Matter, the artists’ bookstore he’s a part of in New York. A new generation of people is interested in these unique creations. What did he call himself? Daddy of the Queerzines! So perfect.

Jill: His description of how they actually look at the books themselves when they are looking to acquire material (as opposed to the length of the artists’ CVs, as is so often the case) is like a little glimmer of hope in the world. I’m so glad I made the trek out to Stanley Milner this weekend!

The Exposure festival concludes on Sat., Nov. 22 with the NOIR Masqueerade Gala, a night of music, entertainment, and fine cuisine at The Starlite Room.