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    Inspired by archival photographs of pre colonial African hairstyles, Ivorian artist Laetitia Ky recreates these historical forms using her own hair, transforming them into contemporary sculptures.
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    Inspired by archival photographs of pre colonial African hairstyles, Ivorian artist Laetitia Ky recreates these historical forms using her own hair, transforming them into contemporary sculptures.

    Inspired by archival photographs of pre colonial African hairstyles, Ivorian artist Laetitia Ky recreates these historical forms using her own hair, transforming them into contemporary sculptures.

    Posted by mlg1981

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    33 Comments

    3. Far_Singer_ on

      Our hair is fucking magic. If blackness got the respect it deserved, people would laud our hair and its rituals. It is such an important part of our culture and being and it does not get the reverence it deserves. My hair is a delicate crown that takes hours to style, and these styles are so carefully crafted they last for weeks. What is that but artistry?

    7. trollboyteli on

      I hope some of these catch on again! Also, side note, I hope the wig designers on Bridgerton are taking notes.

    9. Fearless_290 on

      Beautiful! It looks like they molded their own crowns. Style #2 looks so fierce.

    10. Scary-Chemical-1370 on

      These are gorgeous!! I wonder which materials/glues people used to create these hairstyles in pre-colonial eras?

    12. nutella-filled on

      Every one of them looks absolutely stunning on her

      But to some extent the purpose feels self-defeating because while she says that those hairstyles carry such a profound sense of identity tied to ethnicity and religion and class, etc and not just superficial beauty, because she doesnā€™t embody all of those different identities she really is stripping those hairstyles of their purpose, ironically leaving only the beauty aspect of it.

      Everyone here is reacting to how beautiful they are, but the ā€œlanguageā€ she alludes to isnā€™t expressed.

      (Sorry for being a Debbie downer)

    13. SthrnGal on

      These are beautiful and amazing! I’d love to see them become popular. I love seeing unique hairstyles in my day to day travels.

    15. PersonalityFit2175 on

      What is the science behind Africans and these cheekbones?? Those bones reach the hairline good god thatā€™s a bone structure

    17. eurydice_aboveground on

      Wow, truly stunning. Number 14 seems almost impossible, it’s so cool!

    21. commanderquill on

      I’m very curious to know how the historical styles were created. I can see how the modern artist recreates them, or at least I can guess, but some of the historical styles I can’t tell at all.

    22. TizzyBumblefluff on

      I absolutely love her versions but thereā€™s something I love about the original photos too. Itā€™s a glimpse to the past, like its own little time capsule.

    24. Expontoridesagain on

      Lady in historical picture nr.7 looks so heartbreakingly sad. That snaps you back into reality. I wonder who took these pictures and in what context.

    25. Chipotle_Armadillo on

      “A hairstyle could reveal age, social status…”Ā 

      Yes, same today though šŸ˜„.Ā  I’m going to look this artist up and see how much background knowledge she includes in her art blurb.Ā  Ā Just like a museum: “Nubians, lower caste, 1914”.Ā  That would be cool

    27. CheesyPotatoSack on

      I am loving #5. It feels like such a vibe and I want to see people actually wearing this

    33. velvet_wavess on

      Honest question, so if for example she’s using wire to achieve some of these, how did they create them originally? Did they also use different materials for support, shape etc?