Gabriel Cole and Lucas Croall have painted many a wall together in Adelaide. Bright geometric shapes on the western side of the old Barbecue Inn on Hindley Street bear the pair’s markings. They’ve painted hotel rooms in North Adelaide and front bars across the city. Board rooms, stairwells, bathrooms, innumerable drab spaces have been transformed under the kaleidoscope vision of the pair who paint together.

In their Fringe exhibition, ‘Conversations in Colour’ the artists have reunited for their first show together in six years.

“Conversations in Colour differs to our mural work,” says Lucas. “The inspiration of this show is taken from nature. The brilliance of nature – the symmetry and vibrancy, and all the effort this planet goes to in order to get noticed and to continue to survive is inspiring when you take the time to look at it,” says Lucas.

The exhibition builds on the artists’ previous body of work, ‘Nu Camo’ – camouflage patterns derived from wood grain. Conversations in Colour is another playful investigation into colour and generous mark making.

Group Creative Director of KWP! Josh Fanning says the show is about deepening the agency’s connection to culture in Adelaide. “We have this giant set of stairs and the legacy of the Nova cinema as a place where people used to gather to celebrate filmmaking and art. Giving Lucas and Gab a free space and supporting them to make art adds a bit of backbone to KWP! creative creds and forges a deeper connection to Adelaide’s amazing creative culture.”

Josh says he hopes the space – dubbed ‘Stairwell’ – can become more publicly-accessible over time and that Adelaide’s advertising and design community see it as a place to discover new talent and maybe even a place for themselves to exhibit in.

“It’s no secret our industry is filled to the brim with frustrated creatives. Stairwell is a free space to develop ideas free of commercial constraints,” says Josh

What’s the catch?

“Make a statement. Make it meaningful. Make it worth coming to see,” says Josh.

The show, Conversations in Colour opens on February 18^th and is open business hours and days during Fringe.

Photos by Allan Mawer