Sonya Clark, an artist and educator renowned for her work in fiber art, has brought new light to the artistry and cultural significance of Black hairdressing with her project, The Hair Craft Project.
Through a groundbreaking collaboration with Black hairstylists, Clark has explored the intricate craft and symbolic depth of hair care, drawing parallels between hairstyling and textile art, both of which she calls ritual practices rooted in beauty, culture, and identity.
Clark, who describes hairdressers as her heroes, sees their work as a profound form of artistry. In a statement reflecting on her work, she said:
“Hairdressers are my heroes. The poetry and politics of Black hair care specialists are central to my work as an artist and educator…these artists have mastered a craft impossible for me to take for granted.”
For The Hair Craft Project, she teamed up with Black hairstylists who transformed her own head into a canvas, embodying the belief that hairdressing is the earliest form of textile art.
Drawing from a Yoruba notion that “the seat of the soul” is located in the head, Clark stated in a video interview shared by Afroelle Magazine that hairdressing is more than a mere act of styling—it’s a form of ritual care and beauty.
“What you do with the fiber that is extruded from the seat of the soul is no small matter,” she said. “It is a ritual practice, and that does not mean it can’t also be beautiful.”
This reverence for hair care underscores the spiritual and communal aspects of hairstyling, with stylists often serving as cultural counselors within African diasporic communities.
The project highlights these connections through photography and complementary textile panels.
Each hair design was meticulously documented and paired with a textile piece crafted by the same stylists, further bridging the worlds of hair salons and art institutions and showing both as spaces of creativity, skill, and cultural expression.
Clark’s work, which builds on her earlier creations of sculptural fiber wigs, has redefined hairstyling as an integral part of artistic and cultural identity, carrying forward a legacy of braiding that has been passed down through generations.
The Hair Craft Project was recently featured in the Sonya Clark: We Are Each Other exhibition, which ran from March 23 to Sept. 22, 2024. The project further highlights Clark’s commitment to honoring Black hair care as a vital art form.
