Who says hair can\u2019t be art? We meet Taiba Akhuetie, who uses flowing human and synthetic locks to take brollies, tables, chairs, lampshades, handbags and more into a wild and wavy new dimension<\/p>\n
Taiba Akhuetie\u2019s art is uncomfortable to look at. This is mostly because you\u2019re not sure whether you\u2019re in the presence of something alive or dead. She uses hair as her medium, constructing mundane items out of synthetic and human locks. Handbags, mirrors, rocking chairs and umbrellas are adorned with long, chunky braids and loose, pin-straight strands. The result is that these inanimate objects take on the eerie quality of taxidermy.<\/p>\n
Akhuetie, whose work is about to go on show at the Sarabande Foundation in London, has memories of being fascinated by hair in her childhood. \u201cWe used to go to my mum\u2019s friend\u2019s house \u2026\u201d She stops and quickly corrects herself. \u201cMy auntie\u2019s<\/em> \u2013 she would be called auntie, obviously.\u201d Akhuetie would watch her \u201cauntie\u201d braiding her sister\u2019s hair, taken aback by how quickly her fingers moved. She also remembers doing plaits for her friends at school in Kingston, Surrey, and feeling that she was naturally good at it.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/7b698ea446b6c6506ef4d4ba3f9f66c71ca52fd3\/0_465_3199_2558\/master\/3199.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8d8bfce5369ee74a11bd4b3a94fc8d8b\" "\\"Wiggy")
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