Detangling "hair culture"
School of Fine Arts professor looks at cultural associations of hair
Althea Murphy-Price is an assistant professor of printmaking at the Indiana University Bloomington School of Fine Arts. Her work has been showcased in several galleries around the nation, including Artforms Gallery in Philadelphia, where she was awarded first prize in 2004 in the annual Emerging Artist Exhibition, Artspace Gallery in Richmond, Va., the Print Center Gallery of Philadelphia and the Art Consortium of Cincinnati.
Her work explores how identity is defined within culture and community while questioning self-identification amongst the perceptions of society. Here, she writes about her new printmaking work, which explores the various cultural associations, oddities and self-defining characteristics of hair.
Artist Statement
By Althea Murphy-Price
I'm interested in communities and the subcultures found within them. In this recent work, I'm exploring the close relationship of "hair culture" to religious culture. Hair is often associated with pride, fashion, innovation and assimilation. "Black" hair's texture and complex structure are elements that have drawn me to it for material use as well as its rooted connections in the black community.
Recent work (see above) was created using synthetic hair, accompanied by processes of lithography, serigraphy and wool felting. Inspired by hairstyles and formal hat wear, the sculptural forms exist within their own world of thinking, fashion and other practices; however, we may view them as curious, uncommon and comical objects.
I'm interested in the concept of the individual existing apart from a social body. In some elements of my work, I choose to think of this individual as a foreigner or alien. Certain cultures, fashions and ways of thinking may be foreign to those of us existing outside their association. Things that are odd, unique or bizarre are what I look for in my current environment. I'm also interested in how we choose to define ourselves; the subconscious internal versus the superficial external. I continue to explore ideas of self-definition and self-significance.
To view a previous artist profile (School of Fine Arts teacher Tim Kennedy), go to http://newsinfo.iu.edu/web/page/normal/3598.html.
