In late 2022 two painters drafted an agreement that outlined the terms of a unique creative venture. Chloe Summerhayes and Sam Walker, as friends and parties to a contract, began an exchange of what they considered ‘failed’ paintings – works they had abandoned, left incomplete or otherwise considered deficient. They then allowed each other to work on these exchanges, inviting unanticipated developments. In this spirit of reciprocity, the resulting body of work is considered by the artists to be jointly owned, and each of their contributions as being of equal weight.

A synthesis of two distinct styles, these works are the outcome of a dialogue conducted through paint. They contain at times uncanny imagery, owing to the artists’ preoccupation with the eerie, the subconscious and liminal states. For Summerhayes and Walker, this project has compelled both to examine their practices in light of another artist’s response to what they consider failure in their own work.

Main image: Chloe Summerhayes and Sam Walker, Vespertine, 2020 – 2025, oil on cradled board

Left image: Chloe Summerhayes and Sam Walker, Angel Narcissus, 2020 – 2025, oil on cradled board