Past Event

Biennale x Barbershop

June 4, 2022 12:00 pm
8 Victoria Rd Parramatta

Arts & Cultural Exchange + 23rd Biennale of Sydney

Every Thursday and Friday until 11 June, ACE and the 23rd Biennale of Sydney collaborated to bring you a 3-week pop-up of ACE’s Barbershop featuring Barber Charles Lomu, braider Lucy Lomu, and program students and alumni.

Sydneysiders were able to drop in Thursday and Friday evenings 6-9 pm, and Saturdays 10am – 12pm, for a fade or braid and enjoy local artists including Ensemble Dandana, and Leanne and Shay Tobin.

Patrons were able to pay what they could, making the project extremely accessible.

Jam Session @ Barbershop x Biennale: Ensemble Dandana & Friends

On 4 June, 2022, Arts & Cultural Exchange invited guests to sing, dance and get their haircut!

Ensemble Dandana dropped in to provide some incredible tunes on this massively successful day. They are Arab Theatre Studio’s electric Arabic music group, being made up of Sydney’s best South West Asian and North African musicians.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Ensemble Dandana for being a part of this event.

About Charles Lomu

When cherished trips to the barber with his youngest son became too expensive, Charles Lomu invested in a pair of clippers and set about teaching himself to become a serious barber through the ‘University’ of YouTube. With donated furniture, Charles began providing a ‘check up from the neck up’ for men from his Pacific Islander and church community. His humble garage set-up quickly became a destination for men who wanted more from their barbershop experience.

In addition to his skills as a barber, Charles is a youth worker and a recording artist. With 15 years experience, he specialises in developing and facilitating mentorship and leadership programs and hip hop music workshops for young people in juvenile detention centres, youth organisations, and schools.

About Lalau Leo Tanoi

Lalau Leo Tanoi is a prominent Sydney-based Pasifika curator, arts programmer, DJ, radio broadcaster, performer, cultural worker and community leader. He was born in Mangere and grew up in Auckland before migrating to Sydney in 1988. Leo founded Eyeland Style Productions in 1990, a production and events management company dedicated to bringing artists, Pasifika communities and businesses together.

Currently working on Treasure Islands – a six episode web series in collaboration with Arts & Cultural Exchange and the Powerhouse Museum (MAAS), Leo has worked as an advisor and consultant for numerous organisations, including the NSW Council for Pacific Communities, Samoan Advisory Council, Pacific Islands Communities Action Group, NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, and the City of Canterbury-Bankstown.

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