University censors 'racist' artworks
In the 1960s, police busted a gallery owner for an installation of nudes. More recently, when an artist filmed a cat being killed and eaten, the artist was locked up. Even if the country's definition of obscenity has transformed over time, for decades the debate has stayed the same: Is art censorship an act thwarting obscenity or an Orwellian control?
One female student, who doesn't like the paintings either, says "that's exactly the kind of imagery...used to put another culture in a kind of stereotype."
• In a report released around the time of the Concordia University censorship, the Canada Council stated that "cultural appropriation is a serious issue and requires ongoing debate by staff, juries and advisory committees, as well as the artistic community at large."
• The Canadian Criminal Code makes it an offence to exhibit "obscene, indecent, immoral or scurrilous" matter.
Program: The National
Broadcast Date: March 3, 1992
Guest(s): Natalie Kaufman, Lyn Robichaud
Host: Peter Mansbridge
Reporter: Neil MacDonald
Duration: 2:05
This is the audio of a TV report for which video is unavailable.
Last updated: May 22, 2013
Page consulted on September 10, 2014
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