Adelaide-based art and design project Beyond Killa is bringing NU CAMO to The Mill tomorrow night, an exhibition showcasing the artists’ bold take on camouflage patterns.

Lucas Croall and Gabriel Cole are the brains behind Beyond Killa, a collaborative project that operates as an offshoot of the pair’s larger art and design direction company, Re-Angle Studio. “We both have our independent art practices, and Beyond Killa is simply the amalgamation of our two styles channelled into one image,” Cole tells ripitup.com.au.

Inspired by contemporary abstract art, experimental electronic music, tagging, timeless interiors and textile designs, Croall and Cole have created a distinctive brand that showcases their passion for innovative creation. The two design streetwear, paint murals, and put on regular art exhibitions both individually and together as Beyond Killa.

“We almost never just let things happen and see what we both come up with – a lot of effort goes into discussing the vision and making sure we are on the same page before anything is created, as to avoid any of that cliché un-curated messiness that comes out of a lot of artistic collaboration,” says Cole.

NU CAMO is an exploration of the design styles found in camouflage, with the duo hoping to create a show that offers an ‘enticing, immersive jungle of melting colour’. “Using a top-secret method, we aim to make an example of camouflage as a bridge back into the natural world. Traditionally used as a form of disguise, the show instead contemplates the artistic side of these design styles pushed to their absolute extreme.”

While the pair cannot yet afford to quit their day jobs in pursuit of making a living from art, they try to engage with creativity as much as they can. Between the two of them, Croall and Cole have showcased their work at Sugar, The Stag, Right Hand Distribution, Tooth and Nail and Created Range, where the first line of Beyond Killa street-wear was launched last year. The pair also contributed to a mural on new Adelaide cafe Mama Jambo as part of Adelaide Fringe’s Street Art Explosion.

The pair admire the work of local artists and designers including Aida Azin, Henry Stentiford, Christian Lock, Jimmy Dodd, Mash Studio, Driller Jet Armstrong, Gerry Wedd and Henry Jock Walker.

After NU CAMO, Croall and Cole hope to keep developing Re-Angle Studio while completing some mural and interior work. Cole will be back at The Mill in May, where he will be hosting a solo exhibition.

NU CAMO will launch at The Mill on Friday, March 4 from 6.00pm to 10:30pm, and will run until Thursday, March 31. More details can be found on the event’s Facebook page.

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