JP/Christina Schott

There are barbers and coiffeurs, hairdressers and stylists. And then - sometimes - there are hair artists. Usually they have a fancy salon where they coif important people's hair, a place that only the rich and famous can afford to visit.

Not so in Yogyakarta. In this thriving hub of university students and artists, there is Boy.

Boy is a visual artist who studies ceramic art at the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) in Yogyakarta. Since his high school days in Jakarta, he dreamed of becoming a sculptor, and his artworks have been featured at exhibitions of young emerging artists under his real name Andry Kurniawan.

But as Boy, he is the guy with the barber's clippers in his pockets. He carries them wherever he goes.

"It started during my first term at ISI," the 28-year-old from Palembang recounts. "I was bored with the slow start at the campus. I was eager to create three-dimensional forms and so started experimenting with the hair of my fellow students."

Hairstyling was something Boy was familiar with from his childhood, because his mother ran a wedding makeup business. But ISI students were not known for caring about their appearance, seemingly competing to be the grubbiest among their peers - although even the disheveled look usually follows a fashion system.

So Boy's experimental haircuts soon became popular. They were different from anything people could get anywhere else and somewhat artistic.

Soon other artists heard about the performance-like haircut-sessions and became regular customers. In 2005, the student-turned-stylist teamed up with the Kedai Kebun Forum, a center for artists. Since then, on every Thursday afternoon, he cuts the hair of anybody who drops by, working his magic in the middle of the gallery-caf*. His fame has spread, and now visiting artists, writers and other guests from Jakarta and abroad flock to the scene to have their locks lopped.

Influential art collector Oei Hong Djien even asked Boy to "perform" during his children's wedding receptions.

"I was surprised how many dressed-up wedding guests were keen on experimenting with dreadlocks during such a posh reception," Boy says.

Word of mouth is important for any hairstylist, and Boy says the most significant step in his hair design career was when he cut the hair of ISI's vice rector.

"By the next morning everybody knew about it and wanted to get a cut as well," he says. "In the beginning I was very excited, when I suddenly started doing the hair of people I looked up to as icons, when I first came to Yogya. In the meantime, I have done almost everybody considered important in the local art scene - with the exception maybe of perennially long-haired performance artist Arahmaiani and Cemeti Art House founder Nindityo, who obviously prefers shaving his bald head himself."

Boy is still waiting for painter Heri Dono, another one of his idols, to stop by. "Hopefully, one day, somebody will introduce me to him," he grins.

Despite all his hairy experiments, the jack-of-all-trades has never considered hairstyling a potential profession for himself. He doesn't make money out of it - he usually gets paid with a drink, some cookies or just a smile.

"For me, cutting people's hair is fun, making me and others happy," Boy says.

After the May 2006 earthquake destroyed large parts of Yogyakarta, he played with the children of an affected kampung near his boarding house to cheer them up. His efforts included styling their hair in the fashion of their favorite bands and actors. It worked so well in distracting them from their somber thoughts that the head of a nearby Islamic school asked him to do the same for children from other affected neighborhoods.

The next day, three buses of cheering school kids awaited Boy. "That was probably the most satisfying experience I had so far with my clippers," he says.

The Rasta-haired charmer is involved in all kind of organizations - from the campus' environmental group to the student senate. While still awaiting recognition as a sculptor, he has proved his talent in arts management in diverse jobs. After working as an assistant at Cemeti Art House, he is now an event manager and curator at popular Via Via Caf*, which includes among its events regular exhibitions of young artists. He is also working as a local art scout for Amir Sidharta gallery and auctioneer in Jakarta.

Last year, however, Boy got a serious competitor, when his younger brother started studying at ISI. He, too, carries a pair of scissors everywhere he goes, styling the hair not only of his own fellow students, but also of an increasing number of well-known artists - while getting involved in their management. It remains to be seen which brother will be the cut above.

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