The exhibition was curated by Davina Hawthorne, Max Kandhola and Sharon Lloyd (FACE), which showcases work created and selected by Black and Brown academics from a range of UK universities nationwide. It was launched on Wednesday 27th March, in Keynes College and is open and free to view for all staff, students, and members of the community in Keynes Atrium and Teaching Gallery spaces as part of it’s #Black365 campaign. It is open until July 2024.
Based on previous works curated for the FACExHorniman online exhibition: Hair-Untold Stories (2022) this project, in partnership with the University of Kent extends viewer understanding of the images by providing context of the personal narratives presented.
Both students and academics explore the complex relationship between hair and identity, revealing the importance of generational traditions in different communities and the power of creative invention. The visual and written chronicles that emerge are political, many of them highlighting the continued presence of racial discrimination in relation to hair as well as documenting resistance and creativity in spite of and in response to this.
Taken together, these stories highlight and celebrate a wide diversity of hair textures and hair arts while sparking conversations about long-standing Eurocentric beauty standards in the UK.
These accounts should no longer be suppressed or excluded from our educational curriculum or from the beauty and fashion industries. We hope that such conversations will help to inspire upcoming generations of designers, artists and educators of the future.
Davina Hawthorne, FACE X Horniman, Lead curator
The exhibition includes work from University of Brighton Senior Lecturer and Inclusive Practice Co-Lead, Mylinh Nguyen and Fashion Communication alumni Ruby Kiwindi
The ‘bowl’ cut. A love/hate relationship that most likely resonates with the majority of South-East Asians. Shared stories of home haircuts performed by a parent with a pair of scissors and a bowl. For me, it was my dad and he was slightly more creative and named his haircut the “cowboy”, it was the same thing really, with the only difference being that the sides sloped down, which was more akin to the Western 60s style bob. During my formative years, I have had two distinct hairstyles: long and straight with a fringe or curled without a fringe. Fast forward to my 30s and since having children, the urge to reclaim the ‘bowl’ overcomes me. So here I am, owning the ‘bowl’.
VUMILIA is a project that aims to highlight the vast amount of skill, time and love that goes into afro hair styling. In these behind the scenes images we see the intimate relationships, colours, and styles that are all a part of the energetic salon experience.
Making this film and highlighting just a few traditional afro hairstyles was particularly important to me because whilst studying at university I noticed the lack of representation of hair textures and styles like mine and many others within the fashion industry. Afro hair has such a rich history which continues to grow and break boundaries and for that it should forever be celebrated.
