Conversation with Liz Larner, Los Angeles, 2002

In this conversation, Liz Larner argues for the importance of creating a space for difference within the feminist movement: “We need to constantly reengage in discussions about what that space should be and allow voices, whether it’s a single voice or many voices in a collective, to be heard.” Furthermore, she notes, “the point of a collective is to constantly repair.”

Larner emphasizes the need for artists to define their own methods, adapting to contemporary contexts while retaining the core principles of feminist thought. “I think that’s why I’m interested in sculpture. Sculpture engages on a physical level, involving the body and perception in the present time and atmosphere. That’s the way I can engage the body—remaining inside of it, not as an object, but as an act of presence.” Larner discusses the commercialization of public space and the objectification of the human body, suggesting that these issues extend beyond the physical body to an idealized, hyper-real body often depicted in media. She attributes part of the problem to the advanced state of capitalism. “I think that’s going to be the question of this next decade and this next century: What is going to happen with capitalism? Will we look back and see this as the dark days, or will we look back and see this as the time when that fight was lost?”

Larner asserts that all art can be viewed politically. “That’s a question for viewers and readers… The question is, what do you see the political dimension to be?” Within this paradigm, Larner acknowledges the significant challenges of engaging in political activism in an environment where people are overworked. She reflects on her participation in protests, particularly against Bush’s inauguration, and her creation and distribution of “Impeach Bush"” t-shirts as a form of political engagement: “Somehow he and all his friends, along with all the companies that are part of the establishment, are doing everything they can to change the world in the direction they want, just to make a little bit more money.” Despite recognizing the political dimensions of her work, she maintains a distinction between her art practice and direct political actions. “I want to fight to retain space for other means and forms of aesthetic engagement with the world, as well as to retain space for political engagement. I’m hoping that my sculpture can open up space for that kind of discussion and experience in a softer, subtler way.”