Annobil Contemporary Gallery proudly presents Hairstyle Politics, a magnificent exhibition by intrepid German artist-anthropologist-historian, Dr. Margaret Luttman, celebrating African hairstyles as eloquent expressions of inner and outer reality, emotional and social aspiration, individuality, and politics.
Drawing on the artist’s lifelong research into African culture, this extraordinarily beautiful show debunks and defies western thought, prejudices and archetypes as defined by the historically overweening Western gaze:
“Rather than offering fixed interpretations, the works [in this show] invite viewers to reflect on the many traditions of Black hairstyling as sites of creativity, cultural memory, resilience, and self-definition“, says Luttman (in her artist’s statement).
In essence, It narrates actual fact; that of a complex African hair culture that has retained its stylistic autonomy throughout history, despite western fantasy, as a theatre for human expression, “through which identity, gender, beauty, social status, and individuality are communicated and negotiated” (Luttman).
With Hairstyle Politics, Luttman establishes deftly the African ingenuity for asserting personal space and whim, the penchant for political and socio-economic resistance, dynamic metaphor, symbolism, allegory, satire, and free artistic expression – factors that have consistently influenced modern art throughout the world.
To say Luttman belongs with Africa is to understate the grandeur of this relationship. There is a near-mythic philosophical and emotional connectedness. It is unapologetic social DNA. It is stylishly flamboyant. It goes beyond her doctorate in African art. It is personal.
“My first great love, a Ghanaian man—created a lasting personal connection to the continent. Rather than claiming expertise from the outside, I regard my work as the result of a continuing process of learning. It has evolved through dialogue, curiosity and the privilege of being welcomed into many different social and cultural contexts,” asserts Luttman.
Curated by Ishmael Annobil, Hairstyle Politics is lyrically hung by Luttman in the tranquil Jill Silverman Room of Annobil Contemporary. Each piece was inspired and underpinned by a magical anecdote from Luttman’s many journeys and research trips on the African continent, living and working in West and Central Africa (Cameroon, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria).
But Luttman’s practice traverses all aspects of human adornment and sartorial expression. It celebrates African street fashion and couture with equal zeal, affording herself a participatory role as wearer, commissioner, borrower and collector. This organic emersion gives her a keen insight into the alchemy as well as techniques entailed in this unique, creative sphere, that always carries history with it.
Hairstyle Politics runs from Saturday 5 September to 26 September, with a vernissage on the 5th at 1pm, Accra time.
