Artist Pepón Osorio born 1955 Santruce, Puerto Rico Latino artist educated at the Universidad Inter-Americana Lehman College Graduated from Columbia University Currently teaches at Temple University
Content Version of a Puerto Rican Barber shop All male barbershop A place where young boys are told not to cry for their first haircut Vehicle to look at masculinity
Patron/Site The project was installed in a vacant store Summer of 1994 Located at Real Art Ways, Hartford, Connecticut At opening community barbers offered free haircuts
Scale Little space Simply built in a vacant building Size of small barber shop
Purpose/Style "In 'No Crying Allowed in the Barber Shop,' it’s not so much about beauty but the contradictions of beauty. It’s an installation that you’re allowed to come into so that you’re surrounded by its seduction. But it’s also about the contradiction of male and female...the balance that it exist within the male and the female in all of us. It’s contradictory because when you come in, you expect to see a joyous celebration, but you also see a lot of men crying in the presence of a general public.” - Pepón Osorio
Elements Photographs of Latin men lined the walls potency powder was 'for sale' in display cases scenes of men playing a baby being circumcised men crying The ceilings were silkscreened from enlarged photos of microscopic human sperm A fish tank held a scene from the Last Supper
Other ArtworksOther Artworks My Beating Heart 2000 speakers with sound, archival paper fiber glass 72 x 65 inches in diameter Explores emotional issues through visual means
Other ArtworksOther Artworks Face to Face exact replica of a white-collar office positions the viewer within the environment of the Department of Community and Human Services Examines how some needs are never attended to because of the restrictions of an eight-hour workday reveals the conflict that exists between workers' rights, which are best protected by unions, and individuals' rights, which are often not protected by anyone.