Wassup Hair Lovers!
I would like to invite you to experience Kenya Robinson's Hairpolitic , an art exhibit which explores BLACK HAIR. So grab your favorite bottled water and dig in as this Florida native, Brooklyn representer, professional muse, and emerging cultural icon takes on an iconic hair journey.
What is the definition of HAIRPOLITIC?
Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. Decisions about governance, social constructs, and cultural standards; done explicitly through laws, but even more pervasively through all types of media platforms. I feel this behavior is consistent at every level of human interaction from the extraordinary to the mundane, even something as 'trivial' as notions of beauty. What is beautiful? What is appropriate? Ultimately we know the rules of the culture we participate in, but I wonder who participated in creating the unspoken rules that we adhere to. HAIRPOLITIC is an attempt to open a dialogue about choices, how they populate the world in such a wide array, sprinkled everywhere, waiting for you to choose. You have the right to choose from the full range of opportunities, not an abbreviated listing.
When I heard about your exhibit I thought it would be on hair, but you instead chose to focus on combs, why?
I use combs because the emphasis on HAIRPOLITIC is on the choices of style and adornment. Regardless of hair texture, these styling implements communicate a particular consistency of experience. Besides, the morphology of the combs, brushes and picks are of great visual interest to me. They come in so many different shapes, sizes, and materials that I am continually inspired by these objects as an artistic medium. Ultimately, I needed to condense my unabridged thoughts about black hair into symbols that communicate with the viewer, while still providing enough mental space for their own interpretations. The comb emerged as a portable, colorful, and varied option.
What was the inspiration behind The Comb Series?
My hair is very thick, so the comb and I have this symbiotic relationship. I was born with a full head of hair (I always thought it looked like a baby wig) and wrestling with the stuff, both physically and emotionally, has been pretty much a constant theme throughout my life. But it wasn't until I moved to Brooklyn, with its bevy of salons, barbershops, beauty supply emporiums, and braiding boutiques that I began to think about the "ethnic hair care industry" on a deeper level. I've once counted over 15 beauty related shops on one block, on one side of the street, in a 'residential' section. Couple this with the fact that in the same neighborhood you can find little to no options for fresh fruits and vegetables, and I began to question this obvious obsession. The questions kept coming and I kept finding articles and books that addressed the issue directly. Based on this research I developed a point of view that I wanted to share in the public sphere. Using Art as the conduit to communicate my own perspective was a natural progression.
What elements were used in creating these images?
Combs, brushes, picks, bobby pins, stove eyes, nuts, bolts, grosgrain ribbon, mirrors, synthetic hair, rubber bands, and transparency film.
What to you does "Black hair" mean in America?
Black hair is truly a manifestation of the multifaceted black American collective experience. It means Saturday gossip and conspiracy theorist gatherings over the hum of clippers, or the through the haze of oil sheen spray. And it's also the self-consciousness that often accompanies the quest for acceptance. But ultimately Black hair is about embracing the freedom to define one's own sense of comfort and beauty. Or it means none of that, because a definition is as varied as the people who posses "black hair."
And a Hair Politics question for you: How do you think Michelle Obama would be received by the American public (both Black and otherwise) if her hair was natural and/or in locs?
The maxim of "dress for the job you want not the job you have" applies here. The first Lady has a uniform just as the president does, and this uniform does not include locs, twists, braids, afros, Cesars, china bumps, sista' locs, or brush cuts. I don't think rocking the short natural would be as well received as the fist bump heard 'round the world.
What is the next hair project that you are working on?
I am playing with the notion of shadow in the context of light shinning through the teeth of the combs. I also am bending combs, the results are fascinating!
To check out more of Kenya Robinson's work check out her website HAIR POLITIC or if you are in the NYC area her work is being showcased at Khamit Khinks Hair Salon .
Until next time......keep it shiny!!
--NAJWA MOSES
1. Hello. I just saw one of these pieces at Khamit Kinks and I thought it was very interesting. It included the sort of transparent vellum that you see above and the hair. I loved it! It was fascinating to look at. Our hair styles are truly like sculptures for the head.
Alexis at 3:08PM on Jun 24th 2008