In celebration of the fall exhibition, Later, Longer, Fewer, join Jennifer Ling Datchuk and Gloss Nail Bar for a pop-up nail salon and talk in the HCCC galleries. Explore the artwork and installations on view, and treat yourself to a manicure, embellished with custom blue-and-white nail decals designed by exhibiting artist Jennifer Ling Datchuk. Pamper yourself with nails that show off female-positive imagery, like the Venus of Willendorf, peaches, and more.
Exhibition tours will be available at 4:00, 5:00 and 7:00 PM for groups of up to 10 people (first come, first served). At 6:00 PM, join Datchuk and Quynh Nguyen, owner of Gloss Nail Bar, as they discuss the important role hair and nails play in people’s lives, and how they figure prominently in Datchuk’s work. The conversation will also highlight the social significance of the salon as a communal place that fosters empowerment and supports individual rights and expression when it comes to gender and identity politics. Attendees will also enjoy extended shopping hours at the Asher Gallery Holiday Pop-up.
The talk and exhibition tours are open to the public; however, to receive a manicure, free pre-registration is required. Participants must arrive with clean nails and wear a mask at all times. Each manicure includes a nail polish and custom decal application. Space is limited to a maximum of 16 participants (4 people per hour). Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
**UPDATE: Manicure spots are now completely filled, but please join us for exhibition tours and the featured talk at 6 PM!**
Note: This event is subject to change or cancellation in response to current COVID-19 conditions. The event takes place in person and inside the HCCC building. All participants must wear a mask and practice social distancing during the event.
About Jennifer Ling Datchuk
Based in San Antonio, Texas, Jennifer Ling Datchuk is the assistant professor of studio art at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Trained in ceramics, she works with porcelain and other materials often associated with traditional women’s work, such as textiles and hair, to investigate fragility, beauty, femininity, intersectionality, identity, and personal history. Datchuk holds an MFA in artisanry from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and a BFA in crafts from Kent State University. She has received grants from the Artist Foundation of San Antonio as well as Artpace to research the birthplace of porcelain in Jingdezhen, China. In 2021, the Texas State Legislature appointed her Texas State Three-Dimensional Artist. She has been awarded the United States Artist Fellow in Craft (2020); American Craft Council’s Emerging Voices Award (2017); a residency in 2017 at the European Ceramic Work Center in the Netherlands; the Black Cube Nomadic Museum Artist Fellow (2016); and a residency in 2016 at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, Germany, through Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum. In 2016, she opened the Porcelain Power Factory, a small ceramic line that reclaims the past lives of objects to raise awareness of social-justice causes that need support.
About Gloss Nail Bar
Gloss Nail Bar is a luxurious and chic nail salon that offers all nail-related services. They are located in Houston’s Midtown at 504 W. Gray St., Ste B, Houston, TX 77019. Co-owned by Quynh Nguyen and Khanh Nguyen, the salon provides a trendy and modern atmosphere and offers the latest trends, while maintaining quality customer service and cleanliness. Gloss Nail Bar’s mission is to always raise the bar of what a nail salon should be!
