Hairoism

Ashery has been working with hair as a physical and a cultural material over many years. Hairoism takes Eleanor Antin’s “King” from 1972, a silent, 52 minute, black and white film as a departure point. The King, Antin’s self-professed ‘political self’, shows Antin slowly applying hair to her face to become her male alter ego.

In Hairoism, two assistants apply hair kindly donated from the audience to Ashery’s head and face to imitate four male public figures. The first figure has the least hair and the last has the most, allowing Ashery to become hairier as the piece progresses. After the fourth figure’s hair pattern has been applied, the assistants will continue to glue hair from the audience to Ashery’s face and body, with the goal of covering it entirely. The final effect is something akin to an ape, or a werewolf.

The hair patterns of the following men will be recreated: Moshe Dayan, the general of the Israel Defence Forces during the 1950s, is a national symbol of the Israeli military. Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzouk is a senior member of the Palestinian organisation Hamas. Since 1997, he has served as the Deputy Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau. Avigdor Lieberman is the current Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel. He believes that Israel’s citizens should sign a loyalty oath or lose their right to vote. In November 2006, Lieberman called for those Arab members of the Knesset (Israeli legislature assembly) that met with Hamas be tried for treason. Yasser Arafat/Ringo Starr. The internet is currently flooded with pictures of Ringo Starr next to Yasser Arafat, highlighting their apparent outward similarities including hair styles. (Predrag Pajdić)

Copresentation: Trouble, Brussels, Belgium.

Organisation: City of Women; In collaboration with: Škuc Gallery.