Kitchen

Chimento Contemporary is proud to present Kitchen, a solo exhibition by Hasef.

Hasef’s work introduces viewers to a world of critical issues often avoided or overlooked by society. Exploring ideas of blackness globally, he illustrates disciplined research with experimental images and video art. His pieces entice the viewer to contemplate difficult questions and spark conversations, encouraging viewers to reconsider their role in social construction, civil rights, and white hegemony.

In Kitchen, Hasef takes a critical view of the relationship between hair styling tools and black culture. Hasef spent a substantial part of his childhood in his mother’s hair salon and vividly remembers the tools that he represents in the exhibition. His work isolates common hair styling tools as artifacts. Although these tools were significant in his personal history due to his mother’s business, they have also been ubiquitously present in the bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens of black people for centuries.

Having engaged historical human subjects in his previous work, this series instead reproduces familiar visual stimuli from his own personal history. The final product of a black haircare experience is typically highlighted through personal photography or commercial advertisement. In KITCHEN, Hasef chooses to shine that same proverbial spotlight on the tools that create memories for everyone.

Hasef earned his B.A. in Sociology & Art California State University, Bakersfield, completed his certification in Art & Marketing from Sotheby’s in London, and continued his studies at Claremont Graduate University where he received his MFA in Studio Art. In addition to working as an artist in Los Angeles, Hasef is passionate about educating both young artists and art novices. He has worked as a visiting artist and lecturer at USC and as a Getty Unshuttered instructor and hopes to continue bringing art to his community through MetaArts.