As-Salam Wal Hub 2011
As-Salam Wal Hub – after the Arabic for ‘peace and love’ – saw Ashery remake volunteers in the image of Ringo Starr. The raw material for this group transformation was the participants’ own hair, cut short with the help of Liverpool stylists Voodou For Him and reapplied to form Ringo’s distinct widow’s peak, beard and moustache.
Dressed in black, decked out in sunglasses and making the peace sign, the ‘Starrs’ walked from Voodou to Pier Head where they convened on the roof terrace of Matou restaurant for a one-off performance


Hairoism
6-hour Durational performance and video
Performers: Oreet Ashery, assistants including Owen Parry and Andrew Mitchelson.
Hairoism is a performance dedicated to hairstyles of Israeli and Palestinian men who are public figures in politics. Ashery’s appearance transforms from one hour to the next, as two assistants apply hair kindly donated by the audience, and real hair bought in advance.
In the fifth and last hour Ashery’s face and naked body is covered in hair, as the audience is invited to create a hairy creature.
Hairoism was first invited by Oriana Fox for Tate Modern event looking at feminist works from the 1970s at the women art library in Goldsmiths. Hairoism looked at Eleanor Antin’s The King, 1972.
Hairoism was performed at: Trouble Festival, Brussels, 2011; 30 years of the National Review of Live Art, The Arches, Glasgow, 2010; City of Women Festival, Škuc Gallery, Ljubljana, 2010; Tate Modern, London, 2009