It is my second book after "Back to the Museum" and I hope it will be a success! Your contribution would be key to the finalization of this limited edition of the book and would allow me to get high quality prints and design.

The book is about a deep dive in the intimacy of hairdressers from Ethiopia to Ghana, from Gambia to Cuba.

I have tried to reveal the atmosphere and the color combinations which are so unique in those hair salons.

I have tried to show the beauty which appears everywhere despite the poverty and sometimes tragic human conditions... I usually work on very sad and dramatic topics and I wanted to go for something light and beautiful. These hairdressers are my breathing bubble…pure photography pleasure.

The idea came when I was walking in the street of Conakry in Guinea. There is no collecting systems of the bins, and so when the quantity of waste is big enough, they burn it. There is fire everywhere and among this, you find street hairdressers, cuting hairs and shaving people in the middle of the street. Very surreal. So I have decided to document the life of « hair salons » during my next trips.

It is not always easy to get the acceptance of people to take pictures. They believe that you want to document their poverty and the bad stage of the hair salons while it is really not the purpose. It takes time and a lot of explanations.

The hair place under the Tropics is a meeting point where people come to chat and can spend hours. But there is no rule, it is a very diverse world.

My project has no social purpose. Pure photography and that’s it. Ionesco said that if you don’t understand the usefulness of the un-useful and the un-usefullness of the useful, you don’t understand art. Hair salons in Africa and Cuba is a space where time stops. People are not in hurry like in the western world. People can wait two hours for their round of cuts… The hair scissors is not a tool without soul but a tool of happiness. The music of the scissors in these hair salons is special, I hope you will be able to hear it with my pictures. Please find herewith some of them:

Tal Ben-Shahar in his book « Short Cuts to Happiness: Life-Changing Lessons from My Barber » say that hairdressers beautify us not only on the outside but also on the inside…I hope the book will show it!

What I like is to work in street photography style and catch unique moments. Below a picture of me in action:-)

Herewith also a link on my website, where you will find more of my work. I hope you will enjoy it!

Tropical Hair