Lea Culetto: Combing Through
Combing Through is Lea Culetto鈥檚 latest project, in which she explores the socio-cultural significance of hair and hairiness. From a feminist perspective, she explores the history of hair and its duality 鈥� simultaneously alive and dead, valued and loathed 鈥� uncovering myths and narratives in which hair symbolised power and identity, but was more often used to control the female body, which had (and still has) to conform to patriarchal norms of beauty and subordination.
On the wall in the entrance area, a poem by Australian artist Michele Elliot introduces us to the exhibition. It tells of a woman, or perhaps a girl, with a thick, luscious braid of hair that seems full of life. However, a sinister premonition creeps into this vision, a fear of the prophetic dreams in which the braid transforms into a snake that strangles its owner. Such duality can also be found in mythology. Goddesses and nymphs often derive their power from their long hair, yet at the same time, their hair is also their weakness, exploited by gods and mortals alike in their attempts to dominate them. Stripping them of their strength or subjugating them, they cut their hair, while even the mere threat of its loss becomes a means of control. On the other side of the space, a bundle of thorny branches is bound by a chain of the artist鈥檚 felted hair, a material that is often interchangeable with the braid in myths.
In the first space on the left, the artist presents her findings from the exploration of the mythology and history of hair in the form of a large constellation 鈥� a mind map. Each star on the wall stands for a specific concept and Culetto interlinks the stars according to the occurrence of this concept in different historical epochs and myths. Hair, for instance, takes us to symbolism and stories, then to myths and goddesses, and from there to Dali, the Georgian goddess with golden hair that shines like the sun. The mind map can be explored in more detail via a QR code. A constellation opens on the screen, where each concept is enriched with quotes or web links that explain it. In this sense, Culetto maps her explorative and creative process, while several motifs in the constellation, from the chain and the votive doll to bioplastic and hair jewellery, are further developed in other works on display.
The walls of the next space are adorned with an endless motif of chains and thorns, bristling like hair sprouting after a shave. The glance and the step lead us to a mirror on the floor which alludes to the lakes used by fairies in fairy tales to comb their long, magical hair. A string of biobeads has been placed on it. As they are freshly made, they will continue to change in shape and colour over the course of the exhibition through drying and other natural processes. The artist crafts them from alginate, often incorporating her own ground-up, burnt hair as a natural dye. Because it decays so slowly, hair is our connection to transience 鈥� jewellery made from hair is one of the most intimate ways to remember loved ones. In the sentimental spirit of the Victorian era, such mourning jewellery was particularly popular. There were also wreaths woven from the hair of the deceased and similar artisanal pieces made by specialised craftsmen. Even today, a lock of hair enclosed in a locket remains a cherished way to keep a loved one close forever.
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Combing Through is Lea Culetto鈥檚 latest project, in which she explores the socio-cultural significance of hair and hairiness. From a feminist perspective, she explores the history of hair and its duality 鈥� simultaneously alive and dead, valued and loathed 鈥� uncovering myths and narratives in which hair symbolised power and identity, but was more often used to control the female body, which had (and still has) to conform to patriarchal norms of beauty and subordination.
On the wall in the entrance area, a poem by Australian artist Michele Elliot introduces us to the exhibition. It tells of a woman, or perhaps a girl, with a thick, luscious braid of hair that seems full of life. However, a sinister premonition creeps into this vision, a fear of the prophetic dreams in which the braid transforms into a snake that strangles its owner. Such duality can also be found in mythology. Goddesses and nymphs often derive their power from their long hair, yet at the same time, their hair is also their weakness, exploited by gods and mortals alike in their attempts to dominate them. Stripping them of their strength or subjugating them, they cut their hair, while even the mere threat of its loss becomes a means of control. On the other side of the space, a bundle of thorny branches is bound by a chain of the artist鈥檚 felted hair, a material that is often interchangeable with the braid in myths.
In the first space on the left, the artist presents her findings from the exploration of the mythology and history of hair in the form of a large constellation 鈥� a mind map. Each star on the wall stands for a specific concept and Culetto interlinks the stars according to the occurrence of this concept in different historical epochs and myths. Hair, for instance, takes us to symbolism and stories, then to myths and goddesses, and from there to Dali, the Georgian goddess with golden hair that shines like the sun. The mind map can be explored in more detail via a QR code. A constellation opens on the screen, where each concept is enriched with quotes or web links that explain it. In this sense, Culetto maps her explorative and creative process, while several motifs in the constellation, from the chain and the votive doll to bioplastic and hair jewellery, are further developed in other works on display.
The walls of the next space are adorned with an endless motif of chains and thorns, bristling like hair sprouting after a shave. The glance and the step lead us to a mirror on the floor which alludes to the lakes used by fairies in fairy tales to comb their long, magical hair. A string of biobeads has been placed on it. As they are freshly made, they will continue to change in shape and colour over the course of the exhibition through drying and other natural processes. The artist crafts them from alginate, often incorporating her own ground-up, burnt hair as a natural dye. Because it decays so slowly, hair is our connection to transience 鈥� jewellery made from hair is one of the most intimate ways to remember loved ones. In the sentimental spirit of the Victorian era, such mourning jewellery was particularly popular. There were also wreaths woven from the hair of the deceased and similar artisanal pieces made by specialised craftsmen. Even today, a lock of hair enclosed in a locket remains a cherished way to keep a loved one close forever.
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