Museum of Arts and Design

In Sonya Clark’s (@sysclark ) Wig Series, crafted using braided cotton fibers, the artist delves into the significance of hair as a cultural marker, drawing from African braiding traditions. These caps of braided patterns capture hairstyles worn by her and any number of other young Black girls and are like the sculpturally based African hairstyles captured by the Nigerian photographer J.D. ‘Okhani Ojeikere in the 1970s. Clark shares the incredible coincidence that the hairstyles she wore as a child in the early 1970s were created by her neighbors from West Africa, “The ambassador from Dahomey/Benin lived across the street from us, and his daughters often did my hair. This would have been the same time that Ojeikere was taking photographs of the popular hairstyles in Benin and Nigeria. When I did become aware of his photographs, they greatly influenced the Hair Craft Project.” This body of work examines the intertwined histories of hair, beauty, communication, and ritual. Women “wear” their hair in styles that speak volumes, and hairstyling methods ranging from braids to thread wrapping become sculptural forms that evoke nature by linking tree and plant roots to hair and cultural roots. Clark’s headdresses are like altars for the head, reflecting a deep, ritualistic connection to the seat of the soul. #SonyaClark 1.Wig Series, 1998 Cloth and thread 2.Triad, from the "Wig Series", 1998 Cloth and thread 3.Hemi, from the "Wig Series", 1998 Cloth and thread 4. Spider, from the "Wig Series", 1998 cloth and thread #sonyaclarkmad #weareeachother #blackhairstyling #africanbraiding