In the collaborative work of Colin Reaney and Karee Dahl an aesthetic relationship is asserted which is both independent and complementary. Their recent exhibition was mapped out like a dartboard; each artist established the singular aspects of his and her work along the walls (the periphery), while the centre of the gallery space revealed the intersections between their practices.
Dahl's medium was synthetic fur, coloured in baby hues of blue and pink. Upon one wall, a single-curved sculpture lay flush against the wall with the letters 'BUMP' shaved into the material. Here, the literal annunciation of the physical properties of the sculpture proffered an appreciation of the fluffy formality which comprises Dahl's creativity. Nearby, a series of pink fur pockets emptied themselves out into the space. These loosely stitched pockets looked as vulnerable as an underfed rabbit from a Beatrix Potter book. But this is an illusory sentiment which the medium of fluff connotes—illusory, because fluff, being the stuff of toys, has the capacity to trigger aspects of modern childhood which are essentially artificial. The sad conclusion to this could be that even one's earliest memories can be confused with superficial pleasures. That which we are nostalgic about is already tainted.
Rolladoors by Reaney lined the opposite wall, according to the artist's logic of chrome handles and trolley wheels. The doors were grey and monochrome, with silver wheels drilled in beneath. Some of the doors had chrome handles attached at the face. These industrial attachments shifted the meaning of the artwork into a functional realm dictated by ease of movement and storage. This could infer a disillusioned view of current processes in the creation of art. A friend recently remarked