Hair Pieces – Art, Identity, and the Cultural Politics of Hair

Hair Pieces delves into the rich cultural, personal, and political significance of hair, tracing its role in conveying ideas of gender, power, mythology, beauty, and social status. Edited by Melissa Keys, this volume brings together contemporary Australian and international artists whose practices—spanning drawing, painting, performance, photography, and installation—explore identity, spirituality, and resistance.

Featuring works by Marina Abramović, Janine Antoni, Sonia Boyce, Mona Hatoum, Ai Yamaguchi, and others, alongside critical texts from Santilla Chingaipe, Justin Clemens, Lisa Gorton, Melissa Keys, and SJ Norman, Hair Pieces illuminates how hair functions as both a symbolic and embodied medium, intertwining personal expression with historical and societal narratives. The book invites readers to consider hair as a lens through which art, culture, and politics converge, offering profound insights into contemporary artistic discourse.