Visual Storyteller
Photographer, Videographer
From a young age, I realized the power of hair. I later developed an interest in photographing hair salons and barbershops in various parts of the world during my travels, noticing that while some hair treatments are universal, others are clearly influenced by cultural differences.
In Hair Matters, hair is used as a vehicle to discuss cultural identity, self-expression, and social landscape. In order to document the “hair choices” made by strangers met on the streets of New York City’s five boroughs, I carried my studio on wheels. Headshot photographs were taken and during a brief interview, the participants were invited to express what their hair meant to them. Some chose to talk about good hair, bad hair, natural hair, the significance of the beard in Orthodox Judaism and that of head coverage in Islam, Christianity and Sikhism, as well as Japanese hair traditions. Others focused the exchange on their hair’s color or style du jour as a strong marker of their uniqueness. Everyone has a story.
From Bloomfield, New Jersey (first generation Nigerian American)
From Har Sinai, and New York, New York
From Vancouver, Canada
From Southern California
From China
From Los Angeles, California
From Puerto Rico
From Poland
From Oakland, California
From Jersey City, New Jersey
From Harlem, New York
From Canada
From Puerto Rico
From Brooklyn (half Puerto Rican, half Chinese)
From the United Kingdom
From New York, New York
From New York, New York
From the Bronx, New York
From Carmel, California
From Tokyo, Japan
From Houston, Texas
From Margate, Florida
From Bengladesh
From China