Following the critically acclaimed West Indian Front Room, which attracted 35,000 visitors to the Geffrye Museum in 2005-06, Michael McMillan’s forthcoming exhibition at 198, explores practices and ideas related to the maintenance, transformation and representation of the black body in a post-colonial context.
The body is a contested space in contemporary consumer culture, where the desire and ability to racially transform hair, face, skin and body parts reflects a complex myriad of tropes around ideals of beauty. For people of African descent, in a globalised world, hair texture, skin complexion, full nose, lips and body shape, flesh out culturally and politically charged issues, that resonate in everyday life. The cosmetics industry in general and the High Street beauty shop in particular, crystallises desires to transform hair and lighten skin, which affects diverse communities.
The Beauty Shop exhibition will bring the performative qualities of High Street cosmetic consumer culture to the gallery space, as a mean to interact with visitors. The Beauty Shop will also explore the influences which shape our understanding of “beauty” and the representation of “self” by opening the lid on the personal and collective experience of hair, colour and the body. It will encourage visitors to engage with the multi- layered desires, practices, representations and ideologies mediated by the matrix of family, gender, sexuality, social status, education and cultural politics.
'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'
Saturday 9 February 2008, 12 – 2 pm @ 198
An intergenerational retail therapy workshop using iconic brands to explore hair, skin and the body.
Please bring a product with personal meaning.
Free workshop, limited spaces available, booking required. Please contact 198.
'The more it burns, the better it looks'
A writers’ saloon in the beauty salon
Thursday 21 February 2008, 7 - 9 pm @ 198
Performance poets Khadijah Ibrahiim & Malika Booker join Michael McMillan to reflect on “Bad Hair Days”, “Geri-Curl Nightmares” and “Colour Affected Moments”
Free event, booking required. Please contact 198.
'On Beauty'
Thursday 6 March 2008, 7 – 9 pm @ 198
A panel discussion interrogating ideas of beauty, body consumer culture and skin care science in the African Diaspora.
With visual artist Barby Asante, Dr. Clara Kalu, Carol Tulloch and Michael McMillan.
Free event, booking required. Please contact 198
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