Carole Conde and Marysia Lewandowska; Toronto; 12/4/88

This discussion with artist Carol Conde covers active engagement in politics by artist groups in Canada, and artistic practice as a way to articulate the marginal. It begins with Conde's involvement in lobbying for changes to copyright law to protect artists' and producers' financial interests. The issue was about to reach the Senate for the second time following objections raised by art museums, and the lobbyists needed to raise evidence of public support, for which a press call was planned later in the week of this meeting.

Lewandowska discusses her tape recording of public events and talks which were taking place alongside the personal conversations for the Women's Audio Archive, and presented an unofficial alternative to edited versions produced by Audio Arts in London. Both Conde and Lewandowska relate this to the institutional and individual construction of histories and ideologies, moving onto the practices of using projection and film, including Mona Hatoum's work 'Measures of Distance' and her performance in 'Nationalism: Women and the State' at A Space Gallery, Toronto.

They discuss how such practices might critique art's commodification and allow artists agency over the presentation of their own work, as well as highlighting context-specific issues.

They then consider differences between Canada and England in terms of how artists engage with the political, and the involvement in collectives. Conde briefly discusses her current involvement in groups including the Artist Union, A Space, Toronto Art Theatre Coalition and the Toronto branch of the Canada-wide Free Trade Coalition.