Artists: Sas Colby - Keith Smith

Stellarhighway presents Stitching Desire, a two-person exhibition organized by Megan N. Liberty of work by Sas Colby (b. 1939) and Keith Smith (b. 1938).

Throughout their ongoing careers both Colby and Smith have experimented across a variety of media, from photography and textiles to photocopying and printing. Each has created fabric wall-hangings, bookworks, mail art, and more. In the mid-1970s, artist Sas Colby began experimenting with fabric and textiles, creating a series of wearable artworks, such as capes and masks that were used in her performances; stitched, quilted, and patchworked wall-hangings; and fabric sculptures. As the son of a seamstress, Keith Smith grew up around sewing and textiles and has incorporated these media in various ways throughout his practice.

For each, stitching—materially and metaphorically—is at the heart of much of their studio. From the stitching required to bind a book, to machine-stitched drawings added to collages of photographs and photocopies, Colby and Smith stitch together literary and autobiographical references, manifesting desires for themselves and their family, desires erotic and romantic, and desires for network and community.