Talent show
For hairstylist Janice Mascarenhas, braids and curls are a canvas for painting and a universal love language.
verything has the potential to become a hair accessory in the hands of Janice Mascarenhas. A fine-tooth comb morphs into geometric sculpture when it’s attached to the ends of face-framing pieces; crystals make braids gleam across the wearer’s forehead and brass keys clink together as neat plaits sway at the slightest tilt of the neck.
Then there are the organic elements in Janice’s kit: lately, they’ve been creating heavenly hair sculptures with clay. The idea came to them on a trip to their native Brazil. (Janice currently lives in Morocco, but travels frequently to their homeland.)
Whilst visiting a small Black community – a family, really – in the countryside of Piauí, Janice began doing hair using Earth’s natural resources. “When I touched the clay and [their] hair,
I felt closer to my ancestors and Brazilian culture,” says Janice, who was inspired by the landscape of the Brazilian backlands. They crowned one young girl’s head in a tiara of braids spelling ‘Brazil’ for example, and for other styles covered braids in handmade clay cuffs. Some cuffs were rugged and lumpy. Whilst some were smoothed down, but one thing remained consistent: the connection Janice felt to the people.
In the rare moment when Janice isn’t travelling, their work still transcends borders. “You can have a different idea and show it to the world using just the internet,” they say. They have designed NFTS, or non-fungible tokens, which are records of ownership (often for works of art) to be bought and sold. Janice’s NFTS – some decorated with ceramic face masks and chunky box braids – look like they belong in a gallery. In fact, they’ve been in a virtual one, called ‘Fantasy’ last October. Janice enjoys the flexibility NFTS give them to support artists, particularly those of colour, and isn’t shy to admit that it’s an opportunity for profit.
But for Janice, hair is the real foundation for great potential. “One day, I realised my hair is art – and started to use hair as
a medium for my art,” they say. Hair has brought one of their grandfather’s paintings back to life, replicated across braids (far right) in one very cool take on a modern art installation. Soon, Janice’s creations will be featured in a film about African diasporas and global connections. “I like to talk about culture, history and research Black narratives around the world,” they say.
One thing they’ve discovered through it all? No matter where they are, if there are Afro-descended people, Janice expresses: “Even if we can’t speak the same language, there’s always hair.”
“One day, I realised my hair is art – and started to use hair as a medium for my art”