THROUGH THE PARLOR

part of No Longer Empty Curatorial Lab (Shlomit Dror, Anna Harsanyi, William Helfrecht, Alexis Heller, Hyejung Jang, Hanlu Zhang)

Former beauty salon in Lower East Side, New York, NY | November-December 2013

Artists: Heather Hart, Lin + Lam, Sonia Louise Davis, Amos Mac, Miao Jiaxin, Jaye Moon, Megan Mosholder, Shelly Silver, Betty Yu

Inspired by the space of a former beauty salon in the Lower East Side, this site-specific exhibition offered a very different form of interaction from the typical stylist-customer relationship. Artists across multiple disciplines reflected on modes of exchange that questioned social, physical and economic constructs. At the same time, they investigated the formation of cultural identity as it relates to their own differing conceptions of place. Previously, this salon embodied physical and cosmetic transformations, elements that are also evident in the Lower East Side and Chinatown - an area with rich historical layers and cultural roots. For five weeks, this former parlor at 24 Rutgers Street became a site for participatory engagement, inviting visitors to reflect on the changing neighborhood and explore relationships between the individual and public space.