The Thousands

Really, is there anything better than a stellar collaboration? Bill and Ted, Gilbert and George, Beyonce and Jay Z. Two’s company, there’s power in numbers and it’s better together. If you have a problem, turn to the person next to you, they might just be able to help you solve it.

Frustrated by every young artist’s nemesis – the pressure to make something original (and probably suffering some tiny nightmares of their own), Jaclyn Bates and Charmaine Malgapo started a collaborative project in July as a “personal therapy.” Light-hearted dabbles in illustration have since grown into full scale ink, acrylic, charcoal and aerosol pieces culminating with a body of work under the moniker of Jac and Chamez that will go on show at Jugglers this weekend.

Like any good duo, they have distinct styles that have somehow converged to create a seamless end product. On the walls of their studio, quirky illustrations meet silhouetted creatures, realistic portraits, celestial landscapes and experiments in colour. Pool your brain power and pretty much anything goes – you never know what to expect from these young guns.

Their modesty is blushingly cute, their ideas are indeed original and their creations are an aesthetic pleasure. A profitable cahoots indeed.