Art is learned, nourished, shared: history of an Iberian passion

“Arte è quando la mano, la testa e il cuore dell’uomo vanno insieme” (John Ruskin).

To confirm this quote, the life of Joan Antoni Lopez Subirana: a hairstylist who has made his work an example of passion and absolute dedication. Owner of the Joan Perruquers DKPS salon in Barcelona, Joan Antoni saw as a child handling brush and hair dryer in search of style and beauty: "my mother did my job, but she wanted me to finish my studies. I had to study at night and during the day to be able to do what I wanted: the hairdresser".

Because madly loving your work is the trigger that triggers everything else: the sacrifices but also the satisfactions. Joan Antoni’s professional life has been built year after year, with the desire to learn and grow. A condition that has never ceased to exist and that indeed, with time, has turned into a need to teach. The step towards formation is short: it is not by chance that Joan Antoni is one of Elgon’s historical formators.

"For me, contact with others is crucial. Training is a way to help my colleagues, giving them ideas to evolve. It is one of the aspects of my work that makes me feel really useful".

A career full of content that of this Spanish hairstylist. But what were the difficulties he encountered on his path? And how did he get past them?

"In my training sessions I always tell a very explanatory anecdote of my professional life. When I took my first steps in this profession, we were often given a color to apply directly: they did not explain how to prepare it, what effect it should give or how to do to get the best result. But I had such a desire to learn that I threw myself, with patience and attention. This is the only way I have made my work the maximum expression of my life".

Through her daily experience Joan Antoni Lopez Subirana not only gave a deep sense to her existence, but often managed to offer his interlocutors - customers and colleagues - a chance for change that was the first step towards the realization of a dream.

This is for him the maximum sense of Art.

And for you, what form can an artistic gesture have?