A new exhibition curated by amika and Auttrianna Ward brings together an intergenerational group of contemporary artists to celebrate the artistry and cultural significance of hair

NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For this year’s New York Art Fair Week, amika, the Brooklyn-born, salon-raised professional haircare brand, presents Crowns in Bloom: Celebrating Hair in Contemporary Art, an exhibition curated by Auttrianna Ward. Rooted in amika’s “All Hair Is Welcome” philosophy, the exhibition celebrates and explores hair as a powerful form of identity, memory, culture, and self-expression. On view to the public from September 24 through October 9, 2026, the exhibition brings together an intergenerational group of contemporary artists across painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and film.

Crowns in Bloom considers hair as material, metaphor, and cultural archive, exploring how it has been cut, braided, wrapped, sculpted, colored, and adorned across cultures and generations. Through four thematic pillars, Hair as Medium, Hair as Play, Hair as Landscape, and Hair as Ritual, the exhibition explores hair as an artistic language and its visual, symbolic, and creative possibilities. Rooted in amika’s graphic packaging, fearless relationship with color, and longstanding collaboration with professional hair artists, creativity is central to how the brand sees beauty. With Crowns in Bloom, that philosophy moves into a new space, creating a platform for artists to explore the cultural, personal, and creative possibilities of hair.

“At amika, we’ve always believed that hair is a form of self-expression, and that creativity has no boundaries,” said Chelsea Riggs, CEO of amika. “Crowns in Bloom gives us an opportunity to explore that belief from a new perspective, bringing together artists who see hair not just as something we style, but as a material, a memory, a cultural marker, and a way of telling our stories. We’re excited to create a space where these different perspectives can come together and celebrate all that hair can represent.”

Mickalene Thomas, Malick Sidibé, Torkwase Dyson, Deborah Willis, and Akinola Davies Jr are among the artists featured in the exhibition, representing a range of backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives. Their work demonstrates the many ways hair can function within contemporary art, from artists who engage hair as a physical medium to works that evoke its forms more abstractly.

The exhibition also features work by Vernon François, renowned hairstylist and member of amika’s Stylist Circle. His participation brings the perspective of professional hair artistry into the broader artistic conversation, reflecting the ways hairstyling itself can be a form of creative expression and connecting the salon artistry at the foundation of amika with the contemporary artists represented throughout Crowns in Bloom.

“At amika, All Hair Is Welcome is more than a promise. It’s our belief that everyone deserves to feel seen, celebrated, and free to express who they are,” said Gianne L. Doherty, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Impact at amika. “Crowns in Bloom brings that belief to life by giving artists a platform to explore the powerful role hair plays in how we see ourselves and connect with one another.”

Rather than defining what hair should be, Crowns in Bloom celebrates what it can become. Through the work of artists across generations and disciplines, the exhibition invites audiences to look again at something deeply familiar and discover the stories, traditions, identities, and creative possibilities held within it.

Exhibition Details: Crowns in Bloom: Celebrating Hair in Contemporary Art
Curator: Auttrianna Ward
Dates: September 24–October 9, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Location: 526 West 26th Street, Suite 207, New York, NY 10011

About amika:
amika means friend. We’re a fearless, Brooklyn-born haircare brand that’s loved by stylists, powered by results + built on the belief that haircare should be joyful. Born in 2007, we set out to challenge a category rooted in conformity + create a world that celebrates individuality, creativity + self-expression. Today, our vision remains the same. We’re driven by clinically proven performance, responsible ingredients + a mission to give our community the tools they need to feel confident in their hair—and themselves. All hair is welcome™.

About the curator:
Auttrianna Ward is an independent curator, film artist, publisher, and cultural producer, and the founder of Auttrianna Projects. She has spent the last fifteen years working between New York, Baltimore, London, Brazil, and Los Angeles. Her practice uses curatorial, publishing, and film-based methodologies to decenter dominant American narratives and foreground the work of Black, Asian, and Indigenous artists globally, with particular attention to the legacies of colonial violence and the possibilities of collective memory. Ward’s writing has been featured by the Museum of Modern Art, Studio Museum Magazine, Saint Heron, Elephant Magazine, and Elle Canada, and her work has been covered by Frieze, Artnet, Vogue México, Rolling Stone Africa, Forbes, Cultured, and the Los Angeles Times, among others. She holds an MFA in Curatorial Practice from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a BA in History from Manhattanville College.

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SOURCE amika