06/16/2026
The artist 👇
KY is an Ivorian artist who transforms her own hair into intricate sculptural works inspired by African history, culture, and identity.
Using wire, braids, extensions, and remarkable technical skill, she creates elaborate forms that explore themes of feminism, colonialism, self-love, freedom, and representation.
Ky’s artistic journey began after discovering archival photographs of women across pre-colonial West Africa wearing highly sculptural hairstyles. The images revealed a rich visual language that had been largely overlooked, showing how hair once served as far more than decoration. (Fondazione Imago Mundi)
In many African societies, hairstyles communicated age, social status, religion, ethnicity, wealth, or marital status, while also carrying spiritual and cultural significance. Rather than drawing from one specific tribe or region, Ky’s work reimagines the diverse hairstyling traditions found across West Africa before colonization. (Fondazione Imago Mundi)
Through her sculptures, she transforms hair into a living medium that preserves memory, celebrates heritage, and reclaims narratives shaped by colonial beauty standards.
