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TThe paintings of Akhuetie thieves are unpleasant to look at. This is mainly because you are not sure if you are in the presence of something living or dead. They use hair as a medium, creating ordinary products from man-made locks. Handbags, glasses, rocking chairs and umbrellas are decorated with long and loose, straight straps. The result is that these inanimate objects take on a dangerous form of taxidermy.
Akhuetie, whose work is about to be exhibited at the Sarabande Foundation in London, remembers being fascinated by hair as a child. “We used to go to my mother’s friend’s house…” He stopped and quickly composed himself. “Mrs about auntie – will be called auntie, obviously. Akhuetie watched her “auntie” braid her sister’s hair, and was surprised at how fast her fingers moved. He also remembers making friends at school in Kingston, Surrey, and feeling that he was naturally gifted.
However, in her childhood, Akhuetie did not like to braid her hair. She said: “I grew up in a white, poor community and I didn’t have any money. “I started to realize that my insecurities were caused by comparing myself to people who weren’t like me – and wanting to be like them.” After being made to feel different because of his Blackness, he felt “angry” and excluded. He decided to be around people who made him feel safe.
A change in his view of the fever occurred. The 34-year-old said: In 2014, he started Keash Braids and schoolmate Jessy Linton: part knitting, part design. Shut up”hustle My ass” to attract customers, finally established a permanent salon in Peckham, London. This was when braids were being revived among black women, in part caused by the natural hair movement of the 2010s, when we put down our straighteners in favor of different, harmless colors.
Then, when the lockdown came, Akhuetie had to find a new way to earn money because weaving, social contact was not allowed. Was this possible? I was just like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to fix hair ties in my house with this random stepper.'” The metal was braided with funny hair, decorated with flowers and bees. “That’s when I realized I could use this as a ‘head removal’ tool. I knew that was my path. I was like, ‘This is what I have to do.’
Akhuetie, who lives in Hackney, made her name with one piece in particular: a large umbrella covered in thick black fur. He had an inspiration while going out on a rainy day looking for a brolly. The production racked up 100,000 views on TikTok. And the couture world has naturally taken a liking to her sartorial skills, with Vogue hailing her “high-end and avant-garde clothes”, saying it gives new meaning to the term “body hair”.
Akhuetie has always been a stylist and now works with brands, happy to create custom-made accessories, made to order. But she insists that she is not a fashion designer. His work connects with many people and, while the black hair is clearly visible, he describes his work as “for everyone”.
In 2021, Akhuetie received an Instagram message from Rihanna asking for a bespoke piece and convinced herself that it was not some kind of game. The result – a woven Louis Vuitton bag – is so complex that, at first, it just looks like a bag. Akhuetie has also dressed Nigerian singer Tems for a Met Gala afterparty, as well as movie star Cate Blanchett.
However, Akhuetie, who is known to be outgoing and easygoing when we chat on the phone, is careful not to get too carried away with high-profile associations. He said: “I don’t think you should only think about famous people. “It would be easy to say, ‘My God, a famous person really likes my work, I want to do something with them. But you have to ask yourself, ‘Would it make sense if I did something for this person? Or am I just doing this to make progress faster?'” He paused and added: “‘If someone is wearing my lice, then it must be someone who is compatible with my work as art.'”
When I asked where Akhuetie gets her hair, I expected her to cite one of the growing trends in hair weaves that few women can afford. But I’m surprised to find that it’s my home, Pak’s in Dalston, which cuts him down because of how much he buys. The brands they list – Impression, X-Pression – are all products that have been in my hair, too.
This brings stability, authenticity, to Akhuetie’s creations, as well as a reflection between the work and anyone who will see it – a human form. “It’s the same hair I use on my head,” says Akhuetie, who has also decorated several real mirrors with braided hair – perhaps playing with, and subverting, the idea of looking at your hair in a mirror.
Potentially, there are many logical and theoretical interpretations of Akhuetie’s work. As we discuss, I give away a few, but notice that they leave things open. How does he want people to feel when they see his work? “I was a little confused,” she said. “I wanted her to be like, ‘Don’t I understand how this hair works.’ I also want people to be interested in what I’m doing. But really, I just love the beauty of what I’m doing. “
The exhibition will feature what he describes as his most ambitious work to date: a large, circular sculpture of different colors of hair woven together. The main theme of the exhibition, is made up of many colors and shapes, speaking to the theme of the exhibition: The Tone. But this has many other meanings, not just the different “undertones” of the species, which Akhuetie describes. “As a black person, people say that my words are aggressive.
Another work in the show is a table full of resin beads under it. Akhuetie said: “I was reminded of a very beautiful Black girl with a scarf and necklaces. “Non-black people are so curious that they want to touch you and they treat you like a stranger. You may not ask to touch anyone else’s hair. This is a nod to the phrase “Don’t touch my hair”, which became the slogan of the natural hair movement. “I want people to look at me and say, ‘Why would I want to touch someone’s hair?’
This show shows a big role for Akhuetie. “The reason I didn’t study art was because I was skeptical about being a Black person studying art.” I didn’t think it was smart.
He thinks that art is still very backward, in terms of what it considers to be real art. I think of her aunt Akhuetie, how quickly she weaved, and the finesse, skill and expertise that are so important to black women’s hair. “I believe,” says Akhuetie, “I can show people who think it is not art as it is.”
Taiba Akhuetie: The Tone: Taiba’s World of Hair is at Sarabande Foundation, London22-24 May
