Hair Identity

The Hair Identity is a conceptual installation that explores the deep cultural significance of hair as a marker of identity, particularly for African American women. It builds on the broader narrative of how hair has served as both a site of pride and a point of societal scrutiny.

The installation features a series of ten charcoal and chalk drawings of women's hairstyles, viewed from the back and rendered on 12 x 24-inch birch plywood panels. Each piece focuses solely on the hair itself, inviting viewers to engage with texture, shape, and style without the context of facial features or skin tone.

By removing these identifying details, the work challenges assumptions about race, beauty, and worth. It prompts viewers to reflect on how we assign value to certain hair types, question the origins of labels like "good" hair or "bad" hair, and examine the complex relationship between appearance and identity.

Hair Identity #2 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #2 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #8 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #8 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #5 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #5 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #1 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #1 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #9 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #9 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #3 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #3 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #6 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #6 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #10 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #10 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #4 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #4 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #7 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.

Hair Identity #7 - Charcoal and chalk drawings on 12 x 24-inch wooden panels. 2016 – 2018.