Garage Barbershop

In a modest garage in the heart of Blacktown, men come to have their hair cut, faded and shaved by self-taught barber Charles Lomu and his 5 apprentices.

This humble space is not just somewhere to go and get a haircut; it is a hub where men can congregate and converse without feeling judged or out of place.

These encounters are captured in Garage Barbershop, a new exhibition at Blacktown Art Centre, produced in partnership with Parramatta-based Information and Cultural Exchange.

Garage Barbershop presents a series of photographic portraits by international fashion photographer Harold David that depict modern masculinity; and candid video interviews with men from Western Sydney.

Charles and his young apprentices will also man a pop-up barbershop at Blacktown Arts Centre.

As part of the project, Charles Lomu mentored a group of young men – dubbed the -Original 5' – in barbering as a craft, a culture and a potential career.