L-O-V-E: four letters, set in a square, one slightly tilted ‘O’ and a million reproductions. Unless you were born and raised under a rock, chances are you’ve come across Robert Indiana’s famous ‘LOVE’ artwork. Originally created for the front of a Christmas card, the ubiquity of Indiana’s heart-eyed artwork led to its appropriation by General Idea in the late ’80s.
The Canadian art collective had a simple idea, to replace the L-O-V-E of Indiana’s original with four new ones: A-I-D-S. The three-member group (AA Bronson, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal) then deliberately replicated the artwork, named ‘IMAGEVIRUS’, as many times as possible, on everything from mag covers to postage stamps to sculptures.
This small exhibition at Maureen Paley in Bethnal Green is made up of floor-to-ceiling wallpaper printed with the image in primary brights, plus framed prints of it reflected down a central line to form a butterfly-like repetition.
At the time of its creation, the response to ‘IMAGEVIRUS’ was mixed. Some activists thought General Idea’s approach stripped the word of its power – right when it needed to solicit a response the most.
Standing in the gallery space staring at the prettily-curving letters, it’s easy to appreciate why people had this concern.
The letters are difficult to read (truthfully, I thought they said ‘LADS’ originally) and the colours are poptastic happy.
But it’s this contrast that makes the artwork so powerful. Fast forward to today, 24 years after both Partz and Zontal died of aids, and what ‘IMAGEVIRUS’ proves is how scarily easy it is for words to lose their meaning, and for people to stop caring.
Like with Indiana’s best-known piece of art, the impetus is on the viewer to do the legwork: see an attractively patterned wall if you wish or stop, look again, and see a deceptively clever reflection on disease, death, friendship – and love.