Sarah Eyre’s photographic series of Wigs is a multilayered examination of identity and power.
Her dark honest images, with the absence of the body, expose the details of their subjects for us to almost voyeuristically enjoy. We can examine the beauty of every hair, indulge in each melancholic furl, perfectly presented and waiting to be worn.
Wigs in their essence are an augmentation, a disguise to cover or enhance. Although mass produced, when shot in isolation, out of context they become empowered with new meaning, alongside their names the subjects of these images are unmistakably female. Despite this they still test our reading and assumptions of identity, each loaded with their own uneasy character through which we can explore the tension of their inanimate sexuality.
Sarah Eyre is a lens-based artist based in Manchester. She gained a BA (Hons) in Photography at Nottingham Trent University (1992), and an MA in Documentary Film Production from the University of Salford (2001).
Eyre has exhibited at Cornerhouse & Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, Mid Pennine Arts, Burnley, Ashton Art Gallery, Mad Lab, Manchester, BBC Big Screen, Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Central Library.
