Montreal-based Cam gives us our next interview with a zinester (and textile artist)!
Kindly give us a short description of yourself and the work you do.
I am a textile artist and I live in Montreal (unceded Kanien’kehà:ka & Algonquin territories), Canada. My work is focused on feminist street art, indigenous resistance and decolonization. I am part of the mother daughter duo called Angora (angoramontreal.weebly.com). We realize textiles projects and installations (knitting and sewing). Recycled materials and environmental issues are very important for us, is a form of social and politic engagement. I’m also one of the organizer of Decolonizing Street Art : Anticolonial Street Artists Convergence (decolonizingstreetart.com). This project fosters the idea of bringing together street artists of indigenous and settler origins and build an artistic community of shared anticolonial values. Finally, I study art history and women’s studies.
How did you get introduced to zines? Were you influenced by anyone?
I was introduced to zines by collecting comics. After that, I became interested illustrators, small press and I started going to zines fairs. We have an important small press fair in Montreal called Expozine with a lot of nice zinesters but my favorite zine fair is the Montreal Anarchist bookfair.
What does it mean to do “feminist zine-making”? Does feminism appear in your work (explicitly or implicitly)?
I think the feminist zines give a voice to the marginalized and racialized people and also to focus on political issues that are invisibilized. For example, I participated in the OFF MuralEs zine (offmurales.tumblr.com) which allowed the feminist street artists to express themselves, including on sexism in street art scene in Montreal. I think feminism appear explicitly and implicitly in my work! I reappropriate a medium (sewing) that was associated with the private sphere to affirm my feminist and political messages in the street.
What is your favorite zine or piece of mail art? Do you like any specific style/part of a zine?
The first zines that I’ve read are those of the artist Julie Doucet. Recently I fell in love with Dumb, Georgia Webber’s zines series. I love zines about anxiety, friendship, graffiti / street art, decolonizing relationships, social class issues and Indigenous struggles. I also like to collect mini zines!
If you could sum up your zinester life in a kitchen appliance, what appliance would it be?
My smoothie mixer that I use every morning. Fresh and powerful!
Finally, who are some of the other zinesters you’re excited to see at this year’s feminist zine fest?
Honestly, I’m so excited to see all the zinesters because it’s my first time at the feminist zine fest!
NYC Feminist Zinefest 