Exhibition review from the artist: Anna Rootes

Every month Kaizo offers its walls to the works of a new artist, transforming the salon, and combining Hair & Art.  I was lucky enough to be the artist on show for the month of May with my second solo exhibition, Venture Far.

Frequently exhibiting in London galleries and art fairs, the experience of hanging work in a hair salon was certainly different and I was unsure at first how it would all work.  But it certainly did.  The space is sleek and contemporary, the white walls and black furnishings provide the perfect backdrop for any art form or proposed exhibition.  The vast expanse of floor to ceiling glass windows allows you to open up your work to a variety of exhibition possibilities.

Situated in the heart of Shoreditch on the bustling and ‘on trend’ Charlotte Road the salon by nature attracts a large amount of foot traffic, as the salon does clients.  It was pretty incredible, if not slightly daunting to be given sole ownership of such a large stretch of public window.  With much deliberation I decided to suspend two of my largest canvases in the windows facing outwards.  For a whole month, a 1m x 1m tiger loomed out from a background of turquoise glitter onto the streets of Shoreditch, alongside a less intimidating, less ferocious but still huge purple hummingbird.

As with all exhibitions the month comes with a private view.  Wine glasses replace shampoo bottles, tunes replace hair dryers and the salon becomes a mix of friends, clients and passers-by.  The staff are fantastic, so enthusiastic and helpful.  Seven out of thirteen pieces of my artwork will not be returning to my studio as my first exhibition at Kaizo, Venture Far comes to a close. The exhibition has been a huge success and a fantastic experience. It is a fantastic opportunity for any artist, in any media!

Venture Far ran Friday 3rd May – Friday 31st May