Faisal Abdu'Allah: LIVE SALON

In addition to being an artist, Faisal Abdu’Allah is a barber, a profession he has fully integrated into his creative practice, most notably through his community-based LIVE SALON performances (2006–present). During each session, he provides a haircut to a willing participant and engages them in open-ended conversations about issues surrounding contemporary social identity and representation.

For the event in Lexington, he will give a haircut to:

Keith J. Watts, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Social Work, Affiliate Faculty in African American & Africana Studies, and Core Faculty in the Center for Health Equity Transformation at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Watts’ research explores the complex and intersectional experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals with multiple marginalized identities, such as Black LGBTQ+ individuals and LGBTQ+ youth. His work aims to optimize these communities’ mental health and well-being outcomes by informing programs and practices to improve service delivery and deepen practitioners’ cultural sensitivity and humility.  Most recently, he has explored the role of belongingness to one’s identity-based communities as a critical component of these health outcomes.

Image: Abdu’Allah has performed Live Salon around the world. This cut happened at the Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin.