From our partners at Art Practical, today we bring you a review of Makeover at Southern Exposure in San Francisco. Author Mary Anne Kluth notes: “At a time of massive change in the demographics and urban shape of the Mission District […] the works in Makeover collectively acknowledge that life can be messy, but encourage or demonstrate ideals of exchange and openness, and emphasize approaching problems with a sense of humor.” This article was originally published on September 24, 2015.

Members of Mutant Salon, 2015. Courtesy of the Artists.

Makeover at Southern Exposure, curated by Jennie Ottinger, abounds with playful invitations. Audience members at the opening reception on September 11 were encouraged to hang out underneath giant furniture, allowed to fish around in a tank filled with a mysterious transparent substance, and treated to optional haircuts and manicures.

Mutant Salon’s installation and performance, much more than just an operational feminine beauty salon, contributed a lot to the event’s overall sense of hospitality and acceptance. Beauticians representing an array of gender expressions, dressed like Jem and the Holograms, not only offered their services, but also encouraged the few children in attendance to participate by applying makeup to the salon’s sculptural furniture. While the chaotic surfaces of its melted mannequin head and bulbous nail-polish station veered straight into grotesque excess, multiple audience members who received haircuts at the opening reported being pleased with the results. In action, Mutant Salon parodied, subverted, and gloried in common gender-based beautification practices.

Read the full article here.