KACE. (Naeem Khan/Stanley Casselman)

Rooted in aesthetics, art and fashion share a fascination for the spectacular, sensorial interplay of rich colors, textures, and materials. Recognizing these overlapping creative sparks, KACE, a two-individual collective of Naeem Khan and Stanley Casselman, began an intersubjective exchange where each partner could bring their unique aesthetic strengths to the table. In their union, KACE bridge the gap between art and fashion, and ultimately transcend that gap. They thrust the viewer into a novel experience that defies simple definition. Like Picasso and Braque, who shared a studio in 1911, KACE adopt an intuitive, fluid approach to their collaboration in both visualization and execution. As Khan poetically puts it, “it’s my hands, his eyes, his hands, and my eyes.”

The artists paint on silkscreen: porous, though resilient, the very fine mesh of this beautiful fabric, enables KACE to give life to this toing-and-froing, this animated exchange, between one side of the support and the other. While the flowers draw upon the handicraft and skill of traditional Indian embroidery techniques, the application of paint recalls Abstract Expressionist Action painting grappling with Pop imagery. Conversely, the glitzy, Warholian floral patterns that exude the luxury of Pop Art are ultimately reigned in by emotive and introspective gestural strokes. Through this juxtaposition of slow, meticulous craftsmanship and intrepid, rapid painting, KACE welcome and cultivate a nexus of deeply fascinating contradictions.

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