Danny Moon, Haircolorist

July 04, 2023

Though he’s now known as the “King of Bleach and Color,” Pasadena-born Danny Moon didn’t always know that being a celebrity hair colorist would be his path. But cutting his teeth as a marine stationed in Okinawa at age 18 – with only the experience of bleaching a wrestling teammate’s hair back in high school, and his girlfriend back home sending him pictures of her weekly hairstyles – there was an inherent pull he felt toward the world of cosmetology. It wasn’t until he left the service and returned home to Los Angeles that he began apprenticing at salons. A few years after swiftly earning a chair with his natural talent and noticeable eye for color, Moon founded HAIR, his very own salon in Downtown LA. Upon entering the space, which since opening in 2018 has been host to Moon’s impressive clientele, including the likes of Kid Cudi, Zoe Kravitz, Kanye West, and Madonna, it becomes very clear why his work claims to blur the lines between beauty and art. The eccentric white space is a calculated rainbow explosion of Murakami-esque color, from fine art pieces hanging on every surface to flower-shaped stations. And while the space itself cries out for well-deserved attention, and Hair’s booking schedule reads like a “who's who” of Los Angeles, it’s arguably Moon’s own authentic, generous demeanor and fast friendship that keeps us all coming back.

Photography by Camraface
Interview by Anna Zanes

What is your ideal office?

My salon HAIR Los Angeles is the most colorful place in the world. We’re surrounded by flooding natural light, our favorite painters hanging on the walls, Dorothy Draper prints, and our new flower hair stations custom designed by Luc Fuller of Spiritual Objects. Everything we have in the salon brings me inspiration.

If you could only see the world in two colors, which would you choose and why?

Salmon and sky blue because they remind me of Taos, New Mexico, one of our favorite places. The energy is so pure and sacred.

What was the best bite you took this year?

The chef’s tasting menu at the Stubborn Seed in Miami, which was paired with exquisite rum drinks by Vlad the bartender. The flavors were so colorful, and the hamachi crudo ranks as some of the best fish I've ever tasted.

What is your evening ritual?

I love to come home and look at the work that was created that day in the salon and reflect on the moments I had with my clients and team. I’m always looking to improve the experience and teamwork, and having a daily moment to reflect is really important to me.

Where is the most spiritual place in Los Angeles?

Sunset Blvd at midnight on my motorcycle.

If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be?

Spongebob.

What is your "nails on a chalkboard”?

People that think color is not for them – that goes beyond hair to clothing, the way your house looks, product packaging, all of it. I couldn’t live without color, and I don’t understand the all-beige trend. Life’s too short to be neutral.

What is the most inspiring smell?

Flamingo Estate candles – I love the Adriatic Sage.

When was the last time you were really angry?

When the dry cleaners messed up my Jacquemus suit.

Who is the youngest person you trust?

My fiancé, Nicole Reber. She’s been on the internet since she was five.

How do you define family?

There’s the family you grew up with and love, then there’s your office family you grow up with and go through things with. We get really close in the salon because we all sacrifice for the craft and share that spark of making people feel good. We have the same end game that comes from a really giving place. It’s a unique dynamic, and I’m grateful for that.

If you had a personal theme song, what would it be and why?

“Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode because people ask me to do hair miracles all the time and I have to be up to the task.

If it wasn't hair, what would it be?

Probably a Formula One race car driver. I always want to go faster than I am.

What is one hairstyle or trend you followed that you regret?

No regrets, it’s all been pretty fun. If you’re expressing yourself through your hair, you’re living in the moment. I did go pretty hard on the mini flat iron in 2002, and I probably wouldn’t do that again.

If you could do anyone’s hair, alive or dead, who would it be?

Thom Yorke. I have this memory of when I walked into the salon that would be the real start of my career and “All I Need” off In Rainbows was playing. I knew I found the right place.

Art

LIA LIA by Iga Drobisz

Your work often explores intimacy and vulnerability. How do you create a safe and authentic environment for your subjects during a shoot?

The past few months, I’ve been working on two series of photographs: nudes of women in their own apartments and portraits of women before and after giving birth. Both series involve capturing them in deeply personal spaces—bedrooms or nurseries—where they feel at ease.

Shooting in their spaces, in their own beds, plays a crucial role in creating comfort. I choose film and cameras that show them in a way they find beautiful and empowering, emphasizing softness and warmth. It's a stark contrast to modern, hyper-detailed phone cameras that sometimes reveal more than one wants to see.

Your photography has a distinct emotional depth and texture. How do you approach the interplay of light, color, and composition to achieve this?

My process is highly intuitive. I’ve never formally studied photography or apprenticed under anyone—I learned by experimenting and seeing what felt right. It’s about trusting my instincts rather than adhering to rigid rules.

What role do personal experiences or cultural influences play in shaping the stories you tell through your images? Many of your photographs feel deeply narrative.

Growing up, I was surrounded by great cinematography. My grandmother had a TV, but my mom only brought home VHS tapes—films with substance. I think that exposure shaped how I see the world, how I approach subjects, and the narrative depth in my work.

What role does spontaneity play in your shoots? Do you leave room for improvisation, or is everything carefully planned?

To balance spontaneity and structure, I go in with a clear plan and strong direction, but I remain open to surprises. It’s about letting the subject feel like the shoot is about them, not me. That openness often leads to the most unexpected, meaningful moments.

What inspired the shoot with singer LIA LIA? How did it come together?

Collaborating with Ruby and Naomi always takes me out of my comfort zone in the best way. For this shoot, we wanted to transform someone with an iconic face but also someone like Lia—someone with a clear sense of self.

Giving her a completely new look was exciting; it brought an unexpected energy to the set. The approach was playful and experimental. The night before, I had no idea what wigs Ruby would bring or what colors Naomi might choose. It was a beautiful mix of spontaneity and collaboration.

What inspires you the most?

Movies and music are big inspirations for me, as well as the work of other photographers like Carlijn Jacobs, Harley Weir, Rineke Dijkstra, Charlotte Wales, and Nan Goldin.

What emotions or truths are the hardest for you to express through your art, and why?

I don’t think I consciously try to express specific emotions when I work. Instead, I follow what feels right in the moment—what draws me in or excites me that day. It’s less about a deliberate expression and more about letting intuition guide the way.

Art

Luna Luna: Surrealist Spectacle Lands in New York

November 21, 2024

In the 1980s, André Heller, an Austrian artist, singer-songwriter, and former actor, was looking for a new place to showcase his art. He had already taken to gardens, creating a colorful, surrealistic character using 40,000 flowers, and to the skies, organizing a 'fire theatre,' which involved an over-the-top fireworks show complete with steel-frame sculptures set on fire. But he had never tried out a fair.

So began "Luna Luna." Created as the world's first art carnival, "Luna Luna" combined the spectacular with the absurd, showcasing original rides and attractions from rising and already-at-the-top artists in Hamburg. Nearly forty years since its debut, followed by foiled plans for a worldwide tour, breached contracts, and 44 storage containers, the art fair has finally returned, calling New York home after re-debuting last year in Los Angeles.

By Hailey Johnson
Photography by Delvin Claro and Sabrina Sarnitz, courtesy of Luna Luna LLC

On a recent evening in Hudson Yards, a small carousel featured characters in quirky, Twister-like poses and an outstretched dog with seven legs. (Almost a century old, the rides are no longer rideable.) Goofy wooden sculptures were elevated in another corner, some of them cross-eyed or with a horn for a nose. A geodesic dome glowed, with Gregorian chants hovering somewhere above it.

"It's an art experience like no other," Michael Goldberg, Chief Experience Officer of Luna Luna, said recently. "People get to see artists do things they've never done before," he added.

Goldberg, founder of Something Special Studios, a creative agency behind many Nike campaigns, was determined to resurrect “Luna Luna” after reading about it online in 2019. Goldberg shopped for investors, eventually teaming up with DreamCrew, a media company co-owned by the rapper Drake. (Details on the company's investment remain vague; sources have reported that DreamCrew spent over "100 million dollars.") In 2022, an intensive restoration process began, with a team of artists reviving many of the original works, which had remained in boxes in a Texas warehouse for over thirty years. Several had been in pieces. (The team reportedly had to rebuild each work "bolt by bolt.")

That night, at the Shed, fourteen out of the original thirty-five works were on display, including the small carousel (Keith Haring), the goofy sculptures (Kenny Scharf), the neon dome (Salvador Dali), and a towering Ferris wheel decorated in drawings of stick figures, upside crowns, and references to Jim Crow (Basquiat). Missing works are in a "constant state of restoration," Goldberg said. Meanwhile, new attractions are joining the line-up. For the New York show, the Puerto Rican duo Poncilí Creación was commissioned to create "PonciliLand," a blink-and-you-miss-it section where guests "can create fantastical characters out of custom building blocks." Poncili also developed floating characters, inspired by performers who circulated the original “Luna Luna” fairgrounds in 1987. Known as "Lovers," the two characters, large and dreamlike, teetered to one side, mumbling the kind of nervous groans one does before a fall. (They never ended up falling.)

I asked Goldberg if, given that today's culture doesn't quite look or feel the same way as it did in 1987, there was any hesitation in showing some of the original works. On a back wall, a tribute featured Manfred Diex's "Palace of the Wind," a show featuring performers who fart into a microphone; on another, two ornate pedestals held sculptures of spiral poop.

"I don't see any reason why we wouldn't show any of these works," he said. "A lot of the time, art is exclusive and uninviting. The big difference between “Luna Luna” and other art experiences is that it has many sides to it, and things that have a bit of humor and playful energy. "As for "Palace of the Winds,” the decision to keep it was simple: farting is universal. He went on: "The “Crap Chancellery" is, conceptually, one of the most important works in “Luna Luna.” Daniel Spoerri's dad was killed in the Holocaust, and the work was inspired by Albert Speer, who was Hitler's architect. He took the facade of what was meant to be a Nazi shrine and turned it into the facade of a bathroom with two steaming statues of shit standing on the outside. These works are extremely important and are things that we would definitely want to honor and draw attention to."

As “Luna Luna” further develops, the show will likely change. "It will continue to evolve as we go to different cities in response to the spaces that we pop up into and in collaboration with the local city," Goldberg said." With it, there will be new characters and new stories to tell. One aspect that won't change, though, as Goldberg assured, is a long-held sentiment about a potential partnership. At one point, early on during the original “Luna Luna” era, McDonald's wanted to buy into it. Heller said no, adding that he "didn't want it to feel like Disneyland." Goldberg agreed. Nonetheless, as I watched Kenny Scharf's dizzying swing ride go around for what felt like the hundredth time, with the cartoon characters decorated on it blurring together (one with a villain's grin, another morphed into a martini glass), I couldn't help but feel like maybe I was at Disneyland, only not as robbed, but just as entertained and exhausted by its rides and fantastical characters, and wanting to go again.

Luna Luna, Hamburg, Germany, 1987.

Art

Pamela Sneed’s Speaking Tongue opens at Dashwood Projects

November 15, 2024

Pamela Sneed’s latest exhibition, Speaking Tongue, will be on view at Dashwood Projects from November 20 to December 21. The show features twenty watercolor and ink paintings inspired by her recent trip to Kenya, where she was deeply moved by the elegance of giraffes, the landscapes, and the energy of Nairobi.

Blending her background as a poet and visual artist, Sneed’s work reflects on themes of identity, nature, and connection. Her paintings capture the beauty and spirit of the animals she encountered, alongside reflections on her own experiences as part of the African diaspora.

This exhibition marks Sneed’s first solo show with Dashwood Projects and will be accompanied by a new book, also titled Speaking Tongue, to be released in December.