The Cant is a book and was a performance. This book compiles drawings made by Paul McDevitt over a two-week period in rural British Columbia during June and July 2009. The drawings are presented in approximate chronological order and the book is largely unedited. These improvised drawings informed the anatomy of a one-off shadow play presented by Artspeak in Vancouver, July 29, 2009. Design by Jen Eby, cover text by Lee Henderson.

Available directly from Artspeak.

Paul McDevitt is a Berlin based artist. His practice includes drawing, sculpture, performance, curatorial projects, and often centres on ideas of artistic labour. He completed his MA at Chelsea College of Art in 2000 and was awarded the Saatchi Fellowship. His work has been internationally exhibited including solo exhibitions at Galerie Martin van Zomeren, Amsterdam; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London; Sommer & Kohl, Berlin; Kunstverein Schwerte (with Heike Kati Barath), Schwerte, Germany; Berwick Gymnasium Gallery, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, UK; Jerwood Foundation, London. Group exhibitions include Kunsthalle Andratx, Majorca, Spain; Musée d’Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne (MAC/VAL), Paris; The New Art Gallery, Walsall, UK; Compton Verney, Warwickshire, UK; Project, Dublin; Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, Dublin; Kjubh Kunstverein, Cologne; carlier | gebauer, Berlin; Sparwasser HQ, Berlin. His work is represented by Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and Sommer & Kohl, Berlin.

Artspeak is a non-profit artist-run centre, established in 1986 and is a registered charitable organization. Our early association with Kootenay School of Writing served to situate Artspeak within a unique interdisciplinary community of writers, poets, critics and visual artists. Artspeak is operated by a group of 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.

Throughout our history, 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 audiences that are increasingly receptive to contemporary art and ideas. Artspeak actively contributes to the cultural community through our commitment to artists producing challenging, innovative work in diverse media, our affiliation with like-minded groups and organizations, and the public interest we generate in contemporary art.