DKUK

Established in 2014, DKUK is the original hair salon that got rid of mirrors, offering haircuts and colour in front of art. This unique environment creates an experience like no other. DKUK is for everyone; you can come in for a haircut, or just to see the exhibition. Open to all hair types and lengths, we charge gender neutral pricing based on time and stylists’ experience. We proudly stock vegan hair care range Pureology, Davines’ sustainable styling products, Philip Kingsley’s award-winning scalp treatments and are the only Peckham stockist of leading afro hair brand Design Essentials. Realised by artist/hairdresser Daniel Kelly, DKUK is a platform for making contemporary art and the discussion around it more commonplace and accessible. Staging six exhibitions and various events a year in the welcoming setting of a bustling hair salon, DKUK presents itself as a new model for creative practices and artistic economies to support each other. This includes commissioning new art works and providing full training for artists to become hairdressers. The co-existence of hairdressing and art means at DKUK we look after peoples’ heads – inside and out. We are grateful to Arts Council England for their continued support, which enables us to realise the exhibition and events programme.

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We no longer update this blog

Feel free to scroll through it for archiving purpose and check out our activities on www.instagram.com/dkuksalon/. Click here for to arrange an appointment: dkuk.biz/about/#onlinebookings.

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DKUK HAIRDRESSING APPRENTICESHIP 2018

DKUK is an art gallery and hair salon where clients sit in front of art while they get their haircut, we are currently looking for a young person (must be under 25) with a background or interest in art to train as a hairdresser on our apprenticeship scheme. The successful candidate will be enrolled on a GNVQ apprenticeship scheme and full training will be given. The role is full time and requires a big commitment to learn a new profession.

Your responsibilities:

Social media

Assisting in all aspects of hairdressing

Reception - Maintaining appointment system, booking in clients answering the phone and email

Cleaning salon and keeping tidy

Looking after hairdressing clients

Providing visitors with information about the exhibition

Your attributes:

Smartly dressed and presentable in appearance

Passionate and committed to learning hairdressing

Familiar with social media

Confident dealing with the public

A keen interest and commitment to learning the new profession

A keen interest in art and able to communicate exhibition themes.

Must be under 25.

Details:

Term - 12 month contract

Role - Apprenticeship Hours of Work -  34 hours per week Salary - £10.20 per hour Application Deadline - 1 July Interviews -  Monday 16 July Start date -  Monday 1 August Holiday Allowance - 22.5 days per year

This role will be subject to a 3 week trial period which will commence on 1 August for 3 days per week. If successful the contract will start at the end of August.  

This position is funded through the Southwark Employment and Enterprise Development Scheme (SEEDS2). 

To apply please send a brief covering letter and CV to [email protected] by 15 July 2018.

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DKUK at Sluice Biennial 2017 

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Join the most artistic salon in London.

We are looking for a committed and ambitious stylist to join our growing team.

DKUK is a unique hair salon that also functions as an contemporary art gallery where clients sit in front changing exhibitions funded by Arts Council England. We are a small space with big ambitions, earlier this year we were selected for the L’Oreal Colour Trophy regional London trophy.

We are constantly challenging ourselves with workshops, extra training and photo shoots. We are looking for a highly-trained stylist to be part of the next big thing. If you are looking for a creative salon environment without the usual bulls*#t then this is the place for you.

Apply to [email protected] with a Cover Letter and CV. Do come and check out the space. Deadline 13 October

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DKUK in Rotterdam!

We went on a little research trip to Rotterdam to meet up with artist Mat Do and arts organisation MAMA, who we will be collaborating with on a show next year. 

One of MAMA’s first ever exhibitions included hairdressing, so they’re as excited as we are to bring our own art/hair salon mash up to Rotterdam. 

Watch this space...

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Our refurbished space designed by Sam Jacob Studio is now up and running. 

Images by Jim Stephenson

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From 18th January DKUK will be re-opening with a new look. Sam Jacob Studio has worked with us to come up with a new design that will make the space more comfortable for our clients and allow more space and flexibility for artist installations - as well as being more stylish! 

The re-launched space will coincide with the introduction of our new pricing system, based on hair length, not gender, representative of our view that good quality, fairly-priced hair cuts should be available to all.

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DKUK presents Jóhanna Ellen at Entrée in Bergen

Entrée invited DKUK to temporarily recreate the salon in Peckham within their Bergen gallery in Norway. From 22 October - 12 November 2016, DKUK presented Jóhanna Ellen, ‘digital retreat dot com’, within a structure created by architect Sam Jacob. The installation housed a series of videos and performances by Ellen, a metaphysical encounter in which the viewer enters into a digitally created trance-like world. 

Ellen creates her video animations by densely layering decelerated pit sounds, white noise frequencies and film grains mixed with digital files appropriated from the web, creating an audio-visual landscape that is at once meditative and threatening. 

Exhibition curated by Lars Sture.

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During Art Licks Weekend DKUK presented the first in a series of research events by artist Ilona Sagar, exploring the history and social significance of the Peckham Experiment through archive footage shot at the radical Pioneer Centre in 1930s, courtesy of the Wellcome Trust. The installation also included a series of audio walks produced in partnership with ‘The Ballad of Peckham Rye’

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DKUK Gallery: An interview with Daniel Kelly

For the Art Licks Weekend 2016 Video in Common commissioned a special interview with DKUK gallery/salon founder Daniel Kelly about starting out as a gallery ...

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Preparations for Norway are going well - we are working with Sam Jacob Studio who has designed a shelving structure. The exhibition will run from 22 October -12 November at Entrée in Bergen.

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Check out Icelandic artist Johanna Ellen's work who we will be showing at Entree in Bergen, we will be comissioing Ellen to make a new instalation for our Norweign customers to look at while they get their haircut.

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You can now download our podcast and listen to people getting their haircut and discussing the politics behind DKUK

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Pictures from our reconnaissance trip to Bergen, Norway for our upcoming show at Entree in October. We met Icelandic artist Johanna Ellen whose work we will be showing, while transforming the gallery into a salon for the duration of the exhibition.

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I’d been working as an artist for a few years but I was quite disillusioned with the commercial art world. I was thinking about going back to my original occupation, which was hairdressing. I’d actually been cutting people’s hair in my studio anyway,

“Now I run a salon in Peckham where I cut people’s hair while they look at artworks instead of looking into a mirror. I’ve tried to make it a 50/50 salon and gallery.

I see it as a new model for showing the work of interesting artists to people who would never go into a gallery. They come in for a haircut and end up spending an hour with some quite challenging art. The art is definitely not here as decoration. The artist we’re showing is given complete control over the environment — everything except the sink.

Working without a mirror is a bit weird to get used to as a hairdresser, but everyone says it’s more relaxing. Once the client sits down, they forget about the haircut. The art takes them out of the situation — even people who are nervous...

The project has been well received in the art world, and it is nice to get feedback, but ultimately what drives me is showing the work to new people. The next step is getting a bigger shop on the high street. I went into business without a business plan but I think the potential is incredibly exciting.”

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DKUK as represented at #Manifesta 11. playing haircut interviews conducted on the themes around the salon available to download from the iTunes store.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/dkuk-salon/id1091257321?mt=2

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Our first publication is now available to order online here.

Covering our first six-month ACE-funded programme from Alan Kane to Jack Strange with an intro written by Laura Yuile.

Designed by Rose Nordin and risograph printed by Crumb Cabin.