HAIR POWER
For many Black women, the message has long been ingrained: to be deemed attractive and presentable, one must tame their hair. Kinky, coily, and dark hair is regarded as undesirable and inferior. In Hair Power, the artist explores hair not just as a matter of fashion or attraction but as a profoundly political act.
Drawing from the legacies of the Négritude and Black is Beautiful movements, the series presents contemporary imagery that speaks to the Black struggle and the empowerment that arises from reclaiming identity. Through the lens of hair, the work becomes a reclamation of beauty standards, a rejection of imposed narratives, and a bold assertion of self-love and cultural pride.
Exhibited at the inaugural de Young OPEN at de Young Museum, San Francisco
October 10, 2020 – January 31, 2021
Yunfei Ren | All Rights Reserved