Artspeak

Artspeak was founded in 1986 by curator Cate Rimmer, artist Keith Higgins and writer Jeff Derksen. Our early association with the Kootenay School of Writing served to situate Artspeak within a unique interdisciplinary community of visual artists, writers and critics. Artspeak is operated by artists from the visual and language arts who share concerns in relation to the theory and practice of contemporary art. The mandate of the gallery is to exhibit contemporary art and to encourage a dialogue between visual art and writing. Of particular interest is work that crosses the boundaries between the two disciplines, exploring their common areas of praxis—a distinct aspect of the history of cultural practice in this region.

Artspeak has played a significant role in addressing the historical, social and intellectual conditions of contemporary visual and language arts production from the West Coast. We aim to support the practices of emerging and established artists and writers from this region and beyond by providing opportunities to exhibit, publish and present new work to enthusiastic audiences. Artspeak actively contributes to cultural communities through our commitment to artists producing challenging, innovative work in diverse media, our affiliation with like-minded organizations and the public interest we generate in contemporary art.