‘Beauty as Birthright’, like the practices it documents, is deeply communal. The exhibition space itself is curated to evoke the feeling of hair salons and barbershops found in towns and cities across the continent—spaces that have evolved from informal gatherings for braiding and sharing of life ideas and beauty secrets to vital hubs for socialization, cultural expression, and economic empowerment. These salons and barbershops serve not just as safe spaces but as expansive environments where conversations about life, politics, and the human condition unfold, providing a form of communal therapy.

The sense of community and cultural exchange found in Barber shops and hair salons is reflected in Stuurman’s engagement with the contemporary moment. In a nod to contemporary local design, this image features a hairstyle depicting South African designer Wanda Lephoto’s “Mother and Child” motif from his Spring/Summer '24 collection alongside symbols from brands like Lacoste, Adidas, Nike, Puma,
Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. This juxtaposition highlights Stuurman’s commitment to reclaiming and celebrating African cultures, histories, and aesthetics while also engaging critically with the contemporary realities of aspiration and access.

Captured in profile against a vibrant blue field, the subject’s head bears a precisely sculpted design of a leaping panther. Stuurman’s portrait distills personal style and cultural expression into a quiet yet assertive moment, drawing attention to how identity can be communicated through hair and posture. The image balances elegance and defiance within its minimal, graphic composition.

Against a deep red backdrop, a figure stands with their back to the viewer, a bold hair design etched into the scalp. Trevor Stuurman uses this minimalist portrait to explore identity, memory, and the aesthetics of self-styling, positioning the body as both subject and canvas. The image balances intimacy and assertion, shaped by its controlled composition and vivid color contrast.

In this monochrome portrait, a bowed head reveals a cleanly shaved Adidas logo etched into the crown, merging brand symbolism with personal identity. Stuurman explores how global culture is imprinted—literally and figuratively—onto the individual. The quiet composition underscores themes of self-expression and commodification.

Rendered in stark black and white, Untitled 4 centers on a bowed head marked with a shaved Nike swoosh. The image quietly interrogates the intersections of branding, identity, and self-expression, turning the body into both canvas and commentary. Stuurman’s minimalist composition underscores the intimacy and impact of style as personal language.

Against a vivid yellow backdrop, Untitled 5 presents the back of a head adorned with meticulously shaved designer logos, mirrored by matching LV earrings. The portrait quietly probes the entanglement of fashion, identity, and aspiration, treating the body as both billboard and statement. Stuurman’s composition balances visual flair with cultural critique.

At the centre of Stuurman's debut solo at THK Gallery, Your Beauty is Our Concern, sets of images appear - each comprising of 2-3 photographs per set. The bold colours and curation of the exhibition evoke the feeling of hair salons and barbershops found in towns and cities across the African continent—spaces that have evolved from informal gatherings for braiding and sharing of life ideas and beauty secrets to vital hubs for socialization, cultural expression, and economic empowerment. These salons and barbershops serve not just as safe spaces but as expansive environments where conversations about life, politics, and the human condition unfold, providing a form of communal therapy.

Here, the artists celebrates an expanded vocabulary for beauty— thinking of it as a measure of its own necessity. Black Beauty is in full flight, asserting its inherent value.