Provenance: ARNDT

ABOUT THE WORK

In Haircut Day by Rodel Tapaya, considered as one of the best mid-career artists working today, the viewer is introduced to an ordinary, everyday scene. But a closer investigation reveals a surreal dimension to the painting: the man who is having his haircut appears to be made entirely of patches of colors, but his face reflected in the mirror is remarkably full. The barber, who has a definite physical presence, stalks the mirror like a ghost. The link between them transcends everyday reality, as though both of them have undergone an irrevocable transformation. The scene where the painting is set appears less like a barbershop than a stage, provoking a cognitive dissonance that questions the boundary between reality and fantasy, art and life.