“baby hair and afros” (meditations on hair)
17 January - 9 April 2023

Alayo curated this virtual exhibition, which is a meditation on the significance of hair in the work of 6 contemporary artists. The exhibition can be viewed here.

Afro hair has been the focus of, and had a major influence on, the work of Black artists for decades. It appears across the globe, from the 1960s film photographs of J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, which document traditional hairstyles in Nigeria, to American artist David Hammons' sculpture, Hair Relaxer (1998), which is composed of a chaise-longue and human hair; it is a tongue-in-cheek reference to chemically straightened (relaxed) afro hair. The artists selected for the exhibition share the development of their own personal relationships with their hair, and how this has affected their practice. In their work, hair is either physically incorporated as a medium, or frequently represented. They all now share an appreciation and admiration for their own hair, which at times in their lives was a source of frustration or humiliation, given the stigma that afro hair in its natural state has held for centuries in both Western and postcolonial cultures.