Art Exhibition: The Coiffured by Amanda Jane Graham

A fascinating solo art exhibition, ‘The Coiffured’ – the result of a 2-year collaboration between former hair stylist turned artist Amanda Jane Graham, HABIC and Image Skillnet – opens at the Irish Architectural Archive, 45 Merrion Square, Dublin on 6.30pm on the evening of Tuesday 17th January and will run until the 24th of February 2023.

Through drawings, sound installations and 3-D sculptures, Amanda Jane reveals the rich and fantastic history of her former profession. From the head-dresses of Egyptian pharaohs to Marie Antoinette and Edmund Burke who declared “the occupation of a hairdresser cannot be a matter of honour to any person”, this collaborative exhibition has been quoted as one of the most successful of these Spark residencies.

Leitrim Arts Officer, Philip Delamere contributes much of the success of this project to the conviction and determination of both HABIC’s CEO, Margaret O’Rourke Doherty and Amanda Jane, as they work to shift our understanding and appreciation of the hairdressing profession. Just as Amanda Jane recognises the value and importance of the support HABIC provides to the industry, Margaret equally recognises how the work that Amanda has developed can communicate and further HABIC’s agenda to different people in ways that other activities, projects, and reports cannot.

Developed as part of SPARK, an artist in residence programme developed by Leitrim County Council’s Arts Office and Local Enterprise Office to encourage collaboration between artists and conventional businesses,‘The Coiffured’ was facilitated by Creative Ireland and Spark Arts & Business Collaborations, an initiative which places artists in local companies for a block of time. During this time, the artists get to explore unique environments for their practice and the companies can explore new ways of thinking about what they do in business. In 2021 it was one of nine projects supported by Creative Ireland as part of the Creative Communities Economic Action Fund.

We are really delighted to share an open invitation to this important exhibition, to all who might be interested, from a professional as well as personal perspective. Amanda Jane’s research on the topic will be published and there will be a number of associated events taking place throughout the duration of the exhibition (17th Jan to the 24th Feb).

For more information about the project and the event you can visit www.thecoiffured.com to find out more information about booking a viewing for a school or college please email thecoiffured@gmail.com