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Honest Cuts / The New Gallery

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A painting of a woman sitting with her arm around her knees, looking up. Beside her on a brand is a bird with spiked plumage on its head. In front of her is a large caterpillar with a short black wig on its head. At the bottom of the painting text reads: "Honest Cuts".
Olga Abeleva and Nadya Isabella, June 19th - August 1st 2020

 

 

Honest Cuts is a free hair salon collaboratively run by artists and aspiring hairdressers Olga Abeleva and Nadya Isabella.

 

 

 

The project started as a small community initiative in Vancouver, where the artists transformed their shared painting studio into an impromptu salon, setting it up differently for each customer. By offering their services for free, the artists re-imagine the relationship between customers and service providers, resisting the urge to predicate interpersonal relationships upon the exchange of capital. Instead, these interactions become centred on the act of giving and receiving care.

 

 

 

A painting of 3 people smiling looking towards each other. there is a red dotted line horizontally through the middle of the painting. At the bottom of the painting text reads: "Friendship Cut"

 

2 Paintings. On the left is a painting of a woman with pink hair. She has blue eyeshadow, green hooped earrings and a necklace that spells "honest". Her hair is going through her necklace. On the left is a painting of text that reads: "Gift Certificate, 0 Dollars Available".

 

Initially conceived as a joint residency in The New Gallery’s Main Space, Honest Cuts had to reimagine their project since COVID-19 has rendered it impossible for the artists to interact with customers in conventional ways. As legitimate owners of an imaginary business, Abeleva and Isabella have adapted to the new situation.

 

3 Paintings. The first painting is of a sign that reads: "Sorry we're Closed". The second painting is a portrait of a woman with brown hair. She has bangs and braided pig tails. The third painting is of the same woman but this time it is the back of her head. Her hair is shaved except for the braided pigtails which come out of patches of hair that are shaped like hearts.

 

 

Now that hair experiments are no longer bound by the logic of the physical world, the audience is invited to experience the fantasy of Honest Cuts in cyberspace.

 

 

3 paintings. The first painting is a portrait of a woman with black long hair, her bangs are cut straight across except for the sides which are cut a little lower. The text reads: "One step bangs". The second painting is a portrait of a woman with a brown bob haircut. The text reads: "Babely Bob". The third painting is a portrait of a man with a brown mullet. The text reads: "Subtle Mullet".

A collection of tricks, techniques, inventions, and DIY instructions are available for viewing pleasure on TNG’s website.

 

A drawing and a painting. The drawing is a line drawing of a woman walking her dog, they both have the same haircut. The text reads: "DIY, with the help of honest cuts". The painting is a painting of a note held up by green tape. The note reads: "Dear customers, unfortunately, we're closed. Please e-mail us if you want any advice on hairstyles. honestcutsandotherservices@gmail.com".

 

 

An essential part of Honest Cuts is their promotional campaign, devoted to studying the semiotics of advertising. Honest Cuts is interested in the absurdity of visual expression in capitalism, and parodies various advertising methodologies. Drawing from their background in painting, both artists promote the business through a series of painted signs. This provides an opportunity to rethink the expressive role of painting by extracting a utilitarian functionality to communicate a direct message to the public.

 

 

2 paintings. The first is a portrait of the front and back of a mans head. The man has a black braid of hair at his lower neck. The back of his head is shaved apart from the braid. The braid is coming out of a spot of hair shaped like a rat. The text reads: "Rat Tail". The second painting is a portrait of the front and back of a woman's head. She has bangs that are uneven, left side of her bangs are longer than the right.

 

 

With the motto “no skills and no money involved,” each haircut is an exercise in trust.

 

 

 

2 Paintings. The first painting is of a white picket fence, on the fence text is painted which reads: "I heart honest cuts". Below is different text that reads: "message from a superstar?". The second painting is a portrait of a woman with red hair, there are red flowers on vines framing her head. There is text that reads: "Gift Card, 0 dollars, redeem anytime".

 

A painting of a portrait of the front and back of a womans head. She has short blue spiky hair and her bangs are also spiked downwards. The text reads: "The whip".

 

Though with time, Abeleva and Isabella have gained enough technical skills to embody their barber alter egos with confidence, experimenting with limited resources to provide free creative solutions for the community, and satisfying dreams of luxury without a bill to foot. The project is sustained by the ongoing relationship between the salon and their clients; without the community’s support, this enterprise would cease to exist. Honest Cuts credits their customers with being the true inspiration behind the technical innovations, styles, and aesthetic of the business.

 

2 paintings. The first painting is a portrait of Rachel from the show Friends. It showcases her blonde haircut. There is text that reads: "The Rachel". The second painting is a portrait of Siouxsie Sioux from the band Siouxsie and the banshees. Her hair style is long, black and spiky. There is text that reads: "The siouxsie". "Great company, hospitality and skill. 10/10 on Yelp." - Honest Review

 

A painting of an advertisement. There is a mag holding scissors standing in front of a mirror, below him are profiles of the same woman with 3 different hairstyles. The text reads: "New Custom Bowl, Made to fit just for you! comes in straight, zig-zag, and wavy". The man in the painting has a speech bubble which reads: "cutting my own hair has never been this easy!".

 

A painting which has 3 panels. The first panel is the profile of a mans face, he has a mustache and glasses and short dark hair. There is text that reads: "Office cut". The second panel is the same profile of the same man, he is now holding an electric razor to the side of his head. The third panel shows the same man without his glasses on, his sideburns are shaved and there are stars around his face.

 

A marker drawing of a portrait of the front and back of a woman's head. She is wearing a long dangling earring with a green butterfly on the end. She has short hair and her bangs are cut diagonally across her face. The back of her head is shaved up to the crown.

2 paintings. The first painting is of a person with long shaggy blonde hair. It is covering their face and their eyes are poking out of the hair. There is text that reads: "The Mop". The second painting is of the back of a persons head, the moon in the top right hand corner. Their hair is shiny, long and black, and spikes out on the sides. There is text that reads: "The Bat".

"I came in with a broken nest. I left with a bob and a smile." - Honest Review

 

 2 Paintings. The first painting is a portrait of a woman, there is a blue sky and clouds in the background. Her hair is sticking out on the top and sides in the shape of a star. The peaks of hair are poofy. The text at the bottom reads: " Cloud Cut". The second painting is a portrait of the front and back of a womans head. Her hair is very short, green and spiked all around her head. There is text that reads: "The Durian".

A marker drawing of 2 women cutting a third womans hair. The woman getting her hair cut is seated and wearing an apron. The person to her left has scissors and the person to her right is holding a strand of her hair. The hairdressers look very concentrated. There are plants in the background and posters of womens haircuts on the wall behind them. There are banners on the top and bottom of the drawing that read: "honest cuts".

"Socio-economically fascinating!" - Honest Review

 

 

 

2 paintings. The first painting is a portrait of the singer Avril Lavigne. There is text that reads: "Honest cuts rocks!" and it is jokingly signed by Avril Lavigne. The second painting is a portrait of the singer Celine Dion. There is text that reads: "Honest Cuts, Je t'aime, l'encore!" it is jokingly signed by Celine Dion.

A painting of the back of a persons head. They have a buzzcut and their hair is dyed in a checkered pattern. Text at the bottom reads: "The Checkmate". 

2 paintings. The first painting is seemingly made by a child. There are 3 stick figures smiling under the smiling sun. There is text that reads "honest cuts" the S's are written backwards. The second painting is a portrait of a person whose bangs are in front of their eyes. A hand is holding up a bubble level to seemingly measure the angle of the persons bangs.

 

2 Paintings. The first painting is a portrait of a women holding scissors and chopping a large part of the back of her hair off. She is in shadows with a small light bulb hanging beside her. She has a quizzical look on her face. There is text that reads: "3 AM". The second painting is a profile of a persons head. They have short red curly hair and there is a pink flower on top of their hair. There is text that reads: "Flowered".

 

 

2 Paintings. The first painting is a silhouette standing in the doorway of a house. The light is behind them and they cast a long red shadow on the floor in front of them. To the left of the doorway is a table with a pitcher of water on top of it. To the right of the doorway is silhouettes of spider plants hanging from the ceiling. The second painting is of a woman wearing red high heels kneeling over some long grass with red scissors in her hand. She is looking at an imprint in the mud below her. The imprint marks the letter K. There is text that reads: "A Cut Apart, Directed by Honest Cuts". The painting is mimicking a movie poster.

 

3 Paintings. The first painting is a portrait of the front and back of a woman's head. Her black hair and bangs frame her face in the shape of a heart. the back of her head shows her short hair landed at the nape of her neck. the second painting is of a green truck with a gold statue of scissors and a comb attached to the top. Below the truck is a web bar with a search button, menu button, and the go fund me.com logo. The third painting is of a newspaper. The small print is drawn as lines, there are 2 small newsprint photos of people standing with different haircuts. There are quotes from Honest Cuts customers amongst the text lines. 2 Paintings. The first painting is a Picasso-Styled portrait of a womans face. Her blue hair is cut in geometric shapes. The text reads: "Cubist Cut". The second painting is the profile of a man with a single curly lock of hair coming from the front of his hair. There is text that reads: "Tell us your vision, We will try to make it happen - HC".

 

3 Paintings. The first painting is of a womans back, she is looking into a mirror and we can see her front in the mirror. She is using scissors to cut the back of her long hair. There is text that reads: "Honest cuts at home". The second painting is a portrait of a woman with her hair in a pony tail at the top of her head. Her hair protrudes from the top of her head in different directions. There is text that reads: "The carrot". The third painting is of the face of a woman looking down quizzically. There is text that reads: "decisions".

 

A painting of 2 women, one is leaning their head on the other. There is text that says "since 2016".2 Paintings. The first painting has 2 panels. The first panel is a portrait of a womans face, she has very long spiky hair that starts at the roots as black and slowly fades to blonde at the ends. The second panel is of the womans hand making a rock-on gesture and the end of her hair. There is text that reads: "Stairway to heaven". The second painting is of a person laying down with a sun hat and sun glasses on. They are reading a book. Their hair cannot be seen under the hat. In the bottom right corner there is a cut out that shows the sun hat being filled with a hair mask. There is text that says: "Undercover Spa Hat, Elastic to Secure Hair, Lined with Reusable plastic, Treat your hair while you're out and about!"

2 Paintings. The first painting is a close up of someones hand with pink fingernails, They are brushing their black hair with a pink comb. The second painting is an advertisement for a "Endless Comb" The comb is horizontal and continues off both ends of the painting. There is text that reads: "Endless Comb, Effortless layers, 1-800-Buy-Comb".

 

 

2 Paintings. The first painting shows a profile of a mans head. The man is bald with short stubble on his head. The text reads: "The pebble". The second painting is a portrait of a woman with blue hair. Her hair is short apart from two long strands that jut out from either side of her head.

 

A painting of a woman facing away from the viewer, we can see the back of her head and her profile. She is looking out a window at the sunset. Her hair is red at the roots and slowly fades to orange and then yellow at the ends. There is text that reads: "The sunset".

The Salon is closed a note taped on the window explains its closure The hairdresser's cursive blurs To read it, I rewrite it I borrow ATTENTION Due to the present situation our Salon is closed. We apologize for any inconvenience Looking forward to a healthier time Regards, A. Graphite shadow It is night Hollowed out dot over the i from my window I mistake the clock tower for the moon I mistake the reason for this closure as the night I imagine the Salon’s activity Returning nightly for my standing appointment The Salon has undergone some renovations since I first looked in Apology on glass: Bare linoleum floor and walls Abandoned vanity a painting rests on its side Salon equipment cocoon “Hair grows,” a friend says I rewrite it Hair continues

 

) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( ) Combing punctuates parenthetical trimmings strands of hair are cut dashes and pieces of texts – after ASCII drawings online ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) I struggle to find language at the barber I perform the customer getting a variation on a buzz I wonder how others talk about hair to their cutter The razor whirs I gently roll my head down Reading my lap The blades graze my neck grit around my ears whisper and ask about a girl who kisses my nape as itchy as the clipper I think about my posture wet hair Mist settles on the shop gown like dew Small talk passes [snip] ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My hair grew long I remember On a bridge I said I stopped shampooing Hair between cuts between shampoos measures time between Friends cut hair catch-up I asked Nadya to give me a haircut Our third one together We agreed on a Tuesday In the garden A day off for both of us I recall our first It left me an impression A mess of bits of hair, dust and debris from my studio floor mixed on the dustpan My hair, materials and ecology dirt glittered through Perhaps the haircutter off work paints Brushes are assembled from cut hair The haircutter approaches a shape The painter approaches a head Gestures–cuts shed mass, render volume mark time a texture make edges split ends spilt 0r perhaps cuts the lawn A convivial cut We talk through my indecision and end up finding the words long, bangs in the yard A mirror reflects the afternoon The rake combs my cut hair with the grass clippings It collects a time mass

 

Christian Vistan is a Filipino-Canadian artist originally from the peninsular province of Bataan. His work has been presented in Canada, US, and the Philippines. He currently lives and works on the unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, and Tsawwassen Nations.

 

A photo of the front left window of The New Gallery's storefront, in the window are all of the paintings from the "Honest Cuts" project hung in a collage.

A photo of the front right window of The New Gallery's storefront, in the window are all of the paintings from the "Honest Cuts" project hung in a collage.

 

 

A photo of The New Gallery's storefront, in the windows all of the paintings from the "Honest Cuts" Projects are hung in the form of a collage.

 

The New Gallery gratefully acknowledges its home on the traditional territories of the people of Treaty 7 region, including the Blackfoot Confederacy (Kainai, Piikani and Siksika, Métis Nation of Alberta Region III, Stoney Nakoda First Nation (Chiniki, Bearspaw, Wesley), and Tsuu T'ina First Nation. TNG would also like to acknowledge the many other First Nations, Métis and Inuit who have crossed this land for generations.

 

This exhibition was generously funded by the Rozsa Foundation and the Calgary Foundation.
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