It’s no exaggeration to say that hair has been imbued with cultural significance since time immemorial. Sure, it’s a biological reality with practical functions like regulating our body temperature and keeping debris from getting into various nooks and crannies, but hair means so much more than that in contemporary society.
A new exhibition opening at the Heide Museum of Modern Art on May 4 is centered around the social significance of our strands. Hair Pieces will bring together artworks spanning five decades from nine different countries in an effort to interrogate the ways in which hair is figuratively interwoven with social mores. More than 30 artists from countries including China, Belgium, Japan, South America and Australia will be shown in the exhibition, which will run through until October 2024.
Hair has long been tied up in deeply held ideas around gender, beauty, feminism, mythology, status and power. Through an impressive collection of Australian and international art, Hair Pieces seeks to tease out these ideas to question stereotypes.
‘Untitled (Facial Hair Transplant)’ is a work by Cuban American performance artist Ana Medieta, and is sure to be an exhibition highlight. As a 1970s exercise in experimentation, the work shows Medieta methodically glueing strands of her friend’s beard to her own upper lip.
Belgian artist Edith Dekyndt’s video work ‘Indigenous Shadow’ promises to be another exhibition standout. Visitors will see what appears to be a flag created from strands of black human hair, commemorating the place where a merchant ship carrying enslaved people ran aground.
Hair Pieces will show at the Heide Museum of Modern Art from May 4 until October 6. Admission is included in the price of museum entry, which is $25 for adults and $20 for concession holders. More information is available on the museum website.
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