a bug in my hair....

My mom recently saw a very interesting exhibit in Cincinnati, Ohio that focused on artists working with hair in their work. Here is a recent article on the exhibit. There are a number of interesting artists in the exhibit including Hong Chun Zhang, who's gorgeous drawings have been written about before by moi, read that feature here.



But the artist that I did not know of who in her technique totally blew me away was the work of Adrienne Antonson. Adrienne makes incredibly beautiful and disgusting bugs out of human hair.


I am definitely drawn more to the interpretations of moths and butterfly's as the technique of working with hair really compliments the delicacy of these insects. I have no idea how she manages to work with this material and control it so well.


Sometimes the paint is a little obvious and I am not so sure how I feel about that but I am pretty darn impressed by how "real" her hair bugs look. But also wonder what is the meaning of creating exact replications. Maybe like the paint when it is obvious as the trick of the eye breaks...


She says this about her use of hair:

My sculptural work focuses on making life-like objects from human hair and other non-traditional fibers. I work with human hair because of its immediacy, its beauty and flaws. As an artistic material, human hair is remarkably resourceful. The material never fails to attract and repulse almost simultaneously, a response I enjoy. As I continue to work with this medium, it encapsulates the survivalist notions I find compelling and am excited to explore.

While my sculptural work is quite different from my design work, both processes are meticulous and result in detailed pieces that encourage consideration of the materials. I enjoy balancing these different creative modes and find that studying the evolution of beetles only inspires my next clothing collection.

I am still curious towards the motivation of her work. Why bugs? In a way insects do the same thing as hair- they attract with their beauty but also can easily repulse especially if there are many. But it seems such a specific choice and I want to understand why?

It is also interesting to think about bugs in your hair... how one fears this, it can drive you mad to think about it, when you hear of it you kind of cannot help to itch your head, little boys put them there, life leads they there...

Technically her work is incredible and fascinating but beyond the wow factor I want to know more. I love work that brings be in on a technical level but then after I investigate it I stop thinking about it. For her work I want to know and understand more so that I can continue to think about it and question it.

She would be a great artist to interview, hmmmm??? See more of her work here.