They say death is man's greatest equalizer. Women, however, face a far more mundane threat: la secadora.

Upper Manhattan is, as Lin-Manuel Miranda puts it, a place “where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies a vibrant and tight-knit community”, and nowhere greater encompasses this than the Dominican hair salons sprinkled about the neighborhood. Salons have long been a pillar of communities and culture where women come together to discuss life, love, and learn the ins and outs of what it means to exist in femininity. They come to get their hair done for a wide variety of reasons ranging from special occasions to weekly self-care. Some have recently immigrated, just beginning the pursuit their American Dream and seeking the comfort of a home away from home, while others have long reached and exceeded their American Dreams, here only for maintenance. No matter how high they’ve risen, low they’ve fallen, or how far they need to go, one thing remains the same among them: the misery that is sitting in the dryer.

This Basquiat-inspired piece uses vibrant colors and expressive strokes to convey the jittery feeling of having to sit with your head in a 400 degree oven, while their expressions vary from an unbothered nap, extreme boredom, or an eerie calm. It fits into the theme of rising by representing the everyday limits we face every day that we strive to rise and equalize us no matter what stage in life we currently fall in.