Hair is used to construct everyday objects such as handbags, mirrors, rocking chairs, and umbrellas using synthetic and human locks. Long braids and loose straight strands give the objects an unsettling, taxidermy-like presence. Childhood memories include watching an aunt braid hair quickly and making plaits for friends at school in Kingston, Surrey. Early experiences with braids were uncomfortable due to insecurity and comparison in a white, middle-class area. Feeling dismissed because of Blackness led to a search for supportive people and a stronger sense of identity. Braids later became beautiful and therapeutic, leading to the launch of Keash Braids in 2014 with a schoolfriend and the development of a permanent salon in Peckham.
"Taiba Akhuetie's art is uncomfortable to look at. This is mostly because you're not sure whether you're in the presence of something alive or dead. She uses hair as her medium, constructing mundane items out of synthetic and human locks. Handbags, mirrors, rocking chairs and umbrellas are adorned with long, chunky braids and loose, pin-straight strands. The result is that these inanimate objects take on the eerie quality of taxidermy."
"Akhuetie, whose work is about to go on show at the Sarabande Foundation in London, has memories of being fascinated by hair in her childhood. We used to go to my mum's friend's house She stops and quickly corrects herself. My auntie's she would be called auntie, obviously. Akhuetie would watch her auntie braiding her sister's hair, taken aback by how quickly her fingers moved."
"When made to feel different due to her Blackness, she felt gaslit and dismissed. She decided to surround herself with people who made her feel secure in her identity. This is my path. This is it. This is what I'm meant to do' Akhuetie reclines on her show's centrepiece. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian A shift in her perception of braids ensued."
"In 2014, she launched Keash Braids with her schoolfriend Jessy Linton: part pop-up braiding service, part creative brand. Akhuetie hustled my ass off to build up clients, eventually establishing a permanent salon in Peckham, Lon"
Read at www.theguardian.com
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