Launch of ‘The New Modern Hair. A Styling Chart’

On 9 January at 6 p.m., Ivorypress hosted the launch of The New Modern Hair: A Styling Chart, the second title by artist Silvia Prada (Ponferrada, Spain, 1969), published by cultureEdit. The publication is an homage to the barbershop through a series of portraits highlighting male hairstyles, juxtaposed with geometric drawings.

The classic and figurative style that defines Prada’s work runs through the series of illustrations presented in the book. Her drawings reflect the subtle nuances and cues that help define the male persona, identity and representation within the parameters of visual and popular culture.

The portraits—with titles such as ‘The Flat Top’, ‘The Sportsman’ or ‘Executive Contour’—show her penchant for the retro aesthetic. Each portrait features commentary and meticulous instructions on how to obtain each look in order to resemble a member of the subculture pictured.

In dialogue with the portraits, the volume also includes a series of geometric drawings; all loony remixes of 20th-century art movements such as Bauhaus, De Stijl or Russian Constructivism. These shapes emphasise the hairstyle that each portrait points to.

​Silvia Prada lives and works in New York City. She began her career creating illustrations for some of the most influential international magazines of the nineties, such as Dazed & Confused, V Magazine, Tokion and BlackBook as well as other special publications such as Fanzine 137 and Candy. Since the year 2000 her pieces have been creating snapshots of contemporary iconography from the spheres of fashion, music and the latest cultural trends.