THE COIFFURED by Amanda Jane Graham
29th Nov 2025 – 13th April 2026
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Free Entry
The Coiffured combines three key aspects of Amanda Jane Graham’s life: art practice, sociology, and the two decades she spent as a hairstylist. The project distils a lifetime of experience and new research into a series of unique and detailed drawings, inspired by the intertwined histories of art and hairdressing. From a sociological perspective, The Coiffured uncovers the rich and fascinating history of the hairdressing profession.
The journey of The Coiffured began thirty years ago. As a teenager, Graham considered pursuing a creative career. Hairdressing was an ideal choice. The profession celebrates individuality and creativity, and she sees it as sculptural—shaping forms with hair and air, which she practised for 22 years.
On many occasions, while working as a stylist, Graham faced discriminatory comments such as: “Sure, what would you know, you’re only a hairdresser.” The industry continues to be undervalued as a career, and prejudiced remarks remain common. Her sociological curiosity motivated her to explore the origins of this bias. As she researched, she uncovered a rich, fascinating history of hair and beauty spanning over five millennia, from Ancient Egypt to the French Revolution and beyond. The Coiffured takes an activist stance, highlighting the significant contributions of the hairdressing profession to well-known historical artworks.
Artist Bio
Amanda Jane Graham is an artist, sociologist, and former hairdresser. Her practice is autobiographical and autoethnographic. She narrates her story through reflexive practice by delving into personal history and experiences, where humour almost always emerges. Graham re-evaluates historical art from the perspective of a hairstylist. By employing instantly recognisable salon equipment and hairdressing methodologies as titles, she places the hair and beauty profession within the frame of well-known historical artworks.
Graham is based in Ireland but exhibits both nationally and internationally. Her most recent solo exhibitions include the Leitrim Sculpture Centre and the Royal Dublin Convention Centre in 2024, Birr Castle and the Irish Architectural Archive in Dublin in 2023, the Dock Arts Centre in Leitrim in 2019, and the RHA in Dublin in 2017. In 2025, her exhibition The Coiffured received support from Culture Ireland, and in 2023, Graham was awarded a Leitrim Art Award for her contribution to the arts. She was a finalist for the Sir John Soane Drawing Office Residency and the Business to Arts Best Creativity in the Workplace Award. The Coiffured was awarded the Creative Ireland Creative Communities Economic Action Fund in 2022, and she received the Platform 31 Bursary in 2021 and 2020, the Spark Residency Award, and is an Arts Council of Ireland Bursary and Agility Awardrecipient. Recent publications include RTÉ Arena, RTÉ Brainstorm, RTÉ Culture, News Talk’s Talking History, and the Irish Times.
