James Nicolosi-Cao
Hair Angels
Illustration
2025
Alcohol marker, coloured pencil
12 x 20 inches
Three guardian angels bleach, cut, and style hair, acting as conduits between the worlds of unmodified and transformed bodies.
“As a semi-permanent body modification, hair bleaching, braiding, and cutting are more accessible, temporary ways to explore visual expression and body art. The artistry of Black hair, especially, is ceremonial and sacrosanct.”

Work by
James Nicolosi-Cao
Illustration
“Ritual is a multi-media series of works depicting various forms of body modification to demonstrate how physical changes can have a sacred, transformative, spiritual effect that exceeds the body’s...” [More]