On January 28th Billytown opened its doors with an exhibition showing the work of 30 artists. After almost two years of shuffling between togetherness and isolation, we recognize the importance of connections, conversations and working relationships as a necessity for any artistic practice. Artists don’t exist in a vacuum, they are part of intricate networks of colleagues, friends, teachers, and family. While we may not yet be able to bring people together, we can bring works together. For this exhibition artists from within Billytown each invited a guest to show a work in parallel with their own.

Within this collection of fifteen duo shows, we find artists who collided overseas and ended up living in the same city, and others who passed each other once and never again. Some saw the artist first, others saw their work first, even years beforehand. There are people who have never met, years-long collaborations, provocative challenges, or simply guests who provide encouragement and inspiration. Theoretical connections, material connections, and connections between the present and past.

In Billytown, we feel the generative intimacy of working together, but also the chaos it brings. While the connection between each pair is the primary focus, new and unexpected connections appear between other works in the space. As such, each duet provides a guiding voice within the often chaotic context of a large group show. From the wide variety of motivations and impulses behind each artist’s invitation, questions arise about the nature of invitation and the potential of collaboration.

-Maja Klaassens