Taiba Akhuetie Debuts Hair-Object Art in London
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- Taiba Akhuetie is exhibiting hair‑crafted objects—including handbags, mirrors, rocking chairs and umbrellas—at the Sarabande Foundation in London from 22‑24 May.
- Keash Braids, the pop‑up braiding service Akhuetie launched in 2014 with Jessy Linton, later opened a permanent salon in Peckham, London, marking her shift from hair styling to artistic practice.
- Taiba Akhuetie created a large umbrella covered in dirty‑blond hair that amassed 100,000 TikTok views and earned praise from Vogue for its “super textural and avant‑garde” quality.
- Rihanna commissioned a bespoke braided Louis Vuitton handbag from Akhuetie in 2021, confirming high‑profile demand for her hair‑art pieces.
- The Tone, the exhibition’s centerpiece, is a cylindrical patchwork of varied hair textures and colours that explores racial undertones and Akhuetie’s personal narrative about “tone” in voice and skin.
- Don’t Touch My Table, a resin‑beaded table studded with hair, references the “Don’t touch my hair” slogan of the natural‑hair movement and invites viewers to confront their curiosity about Black hair.
Why it matters: Akhuetie’s London show validates hair styling as fine art, giving Black creators a platform in a mainstream institution and challenging the art world’s narrow definition of artistic media. The exhibition also highlights the commercial appeal of her work, as seen in viral TikTok traction and celebrity commissions.
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