Husband-and-wife team Conor Hollis and Amorette Lana not only fell in love -- they also fell into artistic collusion. Together, they wield spray cans to create organic collaborative works, sometimes monumental in size, on canvases, in sculptural shapes and across the sides of buildings. What's love got to do with it? More than you might think: These two are a bit of a two-headed art monster, each finishing the other's sentences, visually. And when they're not making art, the couple helps others realize theirs: As professional fabricators, they're the ones who work out every nut and bolt needed to bring a monumental sculpture to life.
See also: 100 Colorado Creatives: Laura Shill
The collaborative works of Hollis + Lana are currently on view at Gildar Gallery through Friday, October 11, where they'll close their show, The Everyday Circus, with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. The well-received exhibit has brought the couple attention from our own Michael Paglia and Hi-Fructose Magazine. We invited Hollis + Lana to answer our 100CC questionnaire, and here's what they had to say.
Westword: If you could collaborate with anyone in history, who would it be, and why?
Hollis + Lana: Well, each other obviously, but if we're going for a threesome, lets bring in Niikola Tesla; his sense of humor, mad scientist ways, and willingness to fail through experimentation intrigues us. Also Tesla may be able to explain to us how we are able to collaborate given that time travel is not quite readily available.
Who in the world is interesting to you right now, and why?
We both fell in love with Lisa Yuskavage for her color palettes, which can only be fully appreciated in reality. MadC is intimidatingly bold. Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan are some of the best people we've met. They turn government funded projects into thoughtfully considered artist and community supporting projects. Will Cotton's frosting paintings excite the sugarmonster in both of us.
Continue reading for more from Hollis + Lana. What's one art trend you want to see die this year?Trends are something that are just part of the whole picture, they have their time and die on their own. Some people really enjoy the temporal nature of trends. We prefer things that are deeply considered and crafted to stand the test of time.
What's your day job?
We own and run Silo Workshop, an art fabrication, restoration and conservation company, together with an amazing team of artists and designers. We make, save and care for a plethora of diverse luscious objects big and small. It's a hotbed of talented people creating, learning and teaching each other.
A mystery patron offers you unlimited funds for life. What will you do with it?
Give every child and adult a pony... obviously. But, in all seriousness we would create fantastical worlds with our artwork, so that everyone including ourselves can have experiences completely unimagined to broaden what we all consider possible.
What's the one thing Denver (or Colorado) could do to help the arts?
Get into it. It is happening here, right now. Expect more and more challenging art from Colorado artists. Collect Colorado artwork, there is an amazing pool of talent here deserving of support.
Continue reading for more from Hollis + Lana. Who is your favorite Colorado Creative?Robert Rutherford has a great mind and wears a yellow unitard with class. He and Andrew Orvedahl are hosting the Narrators and a plethora of other great performances that are funny and sometimes disturbing, but real, raw and current. We're also excited about Adam Stone and Screw Tooth at the Buntport Theater.
What's on your agenda for the rest of 2013 and beyond?
Laugh, be merry and dig deeper into the possibilities of failure and tension. We have a mural at McNichols now. In November, we're going to Oakland to paint a giant mural in an amazingly street art heavy and healthy community. We are experimenting and pushing ourselves and our artwork in ways that entice and frustrate us. The paintings and sculptures we are working on now will show at LeQuiVive Gallery in Oakland in December. In 2014, we are going to cross some artistic boundaries and take our work into the theater with Adam Stone and Screw Tooth at the Buntport Theater. Mostly, we're keeping 2014 open so we have time for our mystery patron when they arrive.
Visit Hollis + Lana online for more information.
Throughout the year, we'll be shining the spotlight on 100 superstars from Denver's rich creative community. Stay tuned to Show and Tell for more, or visit the 100 Colorado Creatives archive to catch up.
Do you have a suggestion for a future profile? Feel free to leave your picks in the comments.
