Between the Cracks and the Stencils: The Collaboration of Luke Cornish and Christophe Domergue

On a quiet Sydney street, one artist crouched over a crack in the pavement, pouring resin where most people would only see broken concrete. Another, nearby, was layering razor-sharp stencils into photorealistic portraits. Neither could have guessed that years later, their paths would collide in a collaboration that marries precision with spontaneity, politics with poetry, and laughter with grit. “My beginning as an artist was on the streets of Canberra in the early 2000s,” recalls stencil artist Luke Cornish. “I don’t think I ever decided to be an artist. It wasn’t a conscious choice, it was more serendipitous. I was just making enough money off my painting that I didn’t need to go to work anymore.” For Christophe Domergue, the journey was born from urban detritus. While completing his Master’s at Sydney’s College of Fine Arts, he began collecting crushed energy drink cans from the gutter. “They were a representation of society, everyone running around a million miles an hour, drinking caffeine, throwing it out, and then the car runs over it 2,000 times. I wanted to make art about overconsumption and society,” he says. That impulse eventually birthed his signature practice of “peelings”, abstract landscapes created by ripping resin-and-fiberglass impressions directly from city streets.

A Collaboration Sparks

The two had known each other loosely for nearly a decade, but it was Cornish who reached out. “I’d been following Christophe’s career for a while and just had the sense that a collaboration would really work, offering something nobody else is doing.” Domergue laughs: “I got a DM on Instagram: ‘Hey, do you want to collaborate?’ He came over, gave me a couple of peelings, I went into the spray booth, came back out, and we both just burst out laughing. We knew we were onto a winner.” What makes it work is not just their contrasting mediums, but their opposite temperaments. “It’s a yin and yang situation,” Cornish reflects. “He’s an extrovert, I’m an introvert. Chalk and cheese. But we have the same sense of humor, and it works.”

Art in Reverse

Their process is deceptively simple. Domergue creates peelings, embedding the grit and textures of the street into resin. Cornish layers stencil portraits over them. But the interplay runs deeper. “He’s taking from the street, while I’m putting out onto the street,” says Cornish. “The combination of those two things, that’s what makes it work.” Domergue adds: “Everything I do is in reverse. When I rip it up, what was on the ground ends up embedded in the work. They’re literally landscape paintings.”

Astronauts, Positivity, and Protest

In recent years, Cornish introduced a recurring motif: the astronaut. After a decade of heavy political themes, he wanted to create something hopeful. “We’re bombarded with negativity through the media. I started painting astronauts as a way of promoting positive imagery, about happiness, about me being happy in my career.”

  The astronaut soon became a visual anchor in their joint work. Domergue began shaping peelings that echoed cosmic textures. “I’d say the astronauts are just a launching off point,” he notes. “It’s a launching pad for much bigger projects.” Still, Cornish hasn’t abandoned the sharp edge that made him known. He recalls his controversial Bondi mural depicting border patrol agents: “It went international, front page news in Germany, in England. At the time it was stressful, but looking back, it was funny. That’s what art should do, spark reaction, love or hate.”

Beyond Australia

The pair are clear-eyed about the limits of their local scene. “Australia has a tall poppy syndrome,” Cornish says. “In the States or Europe, success is celebrated. Here, people cut you down. That’s why the next logical step is to go international.” Domergue sees endless possibilities: “Imagine peeling the streets of New York, Japan, or Paris. Each has its own vibe, its own story embedded in the ground.”

A Partnership That Shouldn’t Work, But Does

Despite their differences, the artists’ bond is undeniable. “Statistically, this shouldn’t work,” Cornish admits. “He’s sensitive, I’m insensitive. He’s extroverted, I’m introverted. But everything about it fits.” Domergue agrees: “Luke’s established, I’m emerging. He opens doors for me. But together, it feels like the universe keeps saying, ‘Here, here, here.’ We don’t rein each other in. We just keep pushing.” Social Redia (2025), Spray paint on resin infused peeling

Conclusion

From cracks in the pavement to astronauts floating above city walls, Luke Cornish and Christophe Domergue have forged a collaboration that is equal parts playful and profound. They see beauty where others see only grit, they provoke where others play safe, and they laugh their way through differences that would derail most partnerships. “You don’t need to knock on the gates,” Domergue insists. “You can just kick them over and storm the place globally.” As their collaboration evolves, one question lingers: if they can peel beauty from the streets of Sydney, what might they uncover in the cracks of the wider world? To explore more of Cornish & Domergue’s art, follow them on Instagram and explore our website to apply for or licensing enquiries today. Contact Seminal. Sign up to our Newsletter.  

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