22/2/2006
John Arsenault
ClampArt, New York
Beauty Nook. Arsenault is documenting a tight-knit community of women who have shared the majority of their lives with one another. While the photographs are crafted and often laugh-out-loud funny, there is a notable sensitivity, too, as the individuals who serve as the artist's subjects are also the people of his personal life.
Beauty Nook. Photographs
ClampArt is pleased to announce "Kathy's Beauty Nook," an exhibition of
photographs by artist, John Arsenault.
Growing up in a small town in northern Massachusetts, John Arsenault
spent a great deal of time during his childhood in his Aunt Kathy's hair
salon. Opened in the late 1960s, Kathy's Beauty Nook has catered to
three generations of women, most of whom now range from 60 to 96 years
of age. Arsenault enjoyed the upbeat, bustling environment of the beauty
parlor, and it was there that his aunt first recognized and later
encouraged her nephew's exceptional creativity. In fact, with Kathy's
instruction, Arsenault soon began styling hair himself, and his first
job after high school was impressively in Boston at the Vidal Sassoon
salon on Newbury Street.
Nonetheless, Arsenault eventually decided to pursue his aptitude for
photography, and enrolled at the School of Visual Arts in New York City,
where he earned a BFA in 1999. Yet, the allure of Kathy's Beauty Nook
never faded, and over the past two years, the artist has been returning
periodically to Haverhill, Massachusetts in order to photograph his aunt
and her colorful clientele. Aside from shooting just clippers, curlers,
and blue-tinted coiffures, Arsenault is documenting a tight-knit
community of women who have shared the majority of their lives with one
another. While the photographs are gorgeously crafted and often
laugh-out-loud funny, there is a notable sensitivity, too, as the
individuals who serve as the artist's subjects are also the people of
his personal life.
"Kathy's Beauty Nook" is John Arsenault's first solo show at the
ClampArt. He has been exhibiting seriously for nearly a decade, with
shows in New York, Los Angeles, and London.
For an online preview of several of the artworks included in the
exhibition, simply click on either the picture above or the title in
highlighted type to be taken to the ClampArt website. Be sure to check
out Arsenault's previous bodies of work also featured on the website.
Opening reception: Thursday, February 23, 2006 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
ClampArt
531 West 25th Street, Ground Floor - New York City
Summer hours: Tues-Fri, 11-6, Sat by appointment