Guests: Suzanne Gold, Alanna Reeves, and Alex Vice
Host: Christopher Kardambikis
Recorded on May 25th, 2018
@ The Washington Project for the Arts
HAIR CLUB is an interdisciplinary, research-based collaboration started in 2014 by artists Suzanne Gold, Kelly Lloyd, and Michal Lynn Shumate. Using hair as a lens through which to examine a diverse array of contemporary issues, HAIR CLUB mounts public events, curates exhibitions, and publishes books by artists whose work centers on hair as material, theme, or subject. Expansive conversation events called Hair Salons as well as Merkin-Making Workshops are permanent fixtures of HAIR CLUB's programming. In the summer of 2017, HAIR CLUB taught a three week intensive course called HAIR HAIR HAIR! at Ox-bow School of Art and Artist Residency in Saugatuck Michigan, and in June 2018, will be teaching a class at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.
HUE is a web based zine dedicated to the exploration of color in terms of its chemical composition, historical origin, and cultural significance. With an array of contributors we can share conversations on hues we see throughout our lives by way word and image. Each issue will have a color prompt which we hope will inspire poems, articles, illustrations and more.
HUE is a reaction to a trend in color mixing which has resulted in the creation of ready-made color Caucasian Flesh Tone / Portrait Pink / Flesh Tone. This pinkish hue caters to a specific demographic which is not inherently negative until considering that no other color has been created to match non-Caucasian skin tones and its existence supports the idea that a color can be crafted and made to serve as a definitive representation of a particular ethnic group. While it would be a mistake to create other colors that are representative of non-Caucasian skin tones, the solitary creation of the Caucasian Flesh Tone reinforces current issues regarding the general perception of western art as classical or academic versus non-western art which is regarded as object or artifact. Caucasian Flesh Tone therein suggests that the realm of portraiture can only be contributed to by those it is modeled after.
Through quarterly publications, HUE endeavors to explore technical and chemical compositions of a variety of colors and invites contributors to reflect on their personal associations with these hues as well as share and enlighten others to varying cultural significance.
Alex Vice is a Maryland-based artist wrapping up a BFA at Towson University. For Vice, the process of nomadic sketchbooking has become a significant source of idea development. Through images of dominant figures in surreal landscapes, her goal is to communicate ideas concerning the repetition of history in contrast to everyday experiences. Her work has been featured at the DC Art Book Fair, Richmond Zine Fest, and MACROCK Festival.