Internationally renowned designer Rick Valicenti, in collaboration with You Are Beautiful, presents a salon installation featuring his latest visual stylings at the Robert Jeffrey Hair Salon at 3436 N Halsted.
The vision of the You Are Beautiful campaign is to focus on the utmost truth that unites us as a people: each individual is intriguing, complex and beautiful. In response to the YAB mission Valicenti submits a series of Beauties and Beasties to delight and intrigue, displayed alongside a sampling of his Notes to Self.
The Beauties and Beasties series speaks in many voices: the masks speak Picasso, Jamaican, Comic, and Valicenti. Each is rendered first by hand and then digitally translated and often collaged with iPhone images taken directly from the magazines in the Robert Jeffrey Hair Salon waiting area. The mash up celebrates our unique identities, creating a cast of characters that are actually avatars we can each assume. The faces blend the lines of race, age, and even species, while maintaining a keen awareness of gender identity associations. The resulting portrait masks illustrate sheer otherworldliness and are available in editions of 3.
Beauties and Beasties will be published as two books in one slip case by 5×7, a project of the Post Family’s Alex Fuller. A coloring book version of all the illustrations will also be made available encouraging public engagement. The first 72 books will contain a hand-colored illustration by Valicenti and be available through 5×7.
Please join us for an evening of strawberries and prosecco, in celebration to this first of fall Chicago installations by Valicenti.
If you can’t make it to the gallery or just want a sneak-peek of the collection, visit rickvalicenti.com
7:00-9:00 pm
Friday 24 August
Robert Jeffery Hair Studio
3436 N Halsted
Dates
Show runs: Friday 24 Aug – Oct 19
Opening night: Friday 24 Aug
Partner Organizations
Thirst
Robert Jeffrey’s Salon
You Are Beautiful
Alex Fuller/ Post Family
Graphic Arts Studio