Laetitia Ky

[HardyBuckette]

Thought this Guardian article might be of interest. Laetitia is an Ivorian woman who makes sculptures from her hair. Lots of them are political.

www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/mar/31/some-people-are-freaked-out-how-laetitia-ky-tackles-abortion-sexism-and-race-with-her-extraordinary-hair

I've been aware of her for a year or two now, she's brilliant, but this is the first I'd heard of her attracting Western criticism for her discussion of sex as a reason for African women's oppression. The absolute fucking cheek of it.

Stunningly beautiful art. Beautiful woman, too. So powerful.

@MamaSaidTheredBeDaysLikeThis

So everything needs to be decolonised in the UK and supposed colonisation will be frantically called out, including university physics departments, but it is still totally ok to tell African people what to do and how to think. Got it.

There was a superb panel of speakers who spoke about this in a WHRC event: they referred to it as rainbow imperialism. E.g., Yeye Luisah Teish on Rainbow flag imperialism gave a fascinating overview of Yoruba traditions and how culture and traditions are ignored/suppressed by NGOs. She also shared her experience of being a black woman in the US.

Yeye:

LK's is the sort of art that shifts perspectives so that you literally see things differently.

That looks very interesting, Embarrassing, will give it a watch later.

What a fabulous article. Thank you for sharing OP!

@MidCenturyClegs

What a fabulous article. Thank you for sharing OP!

And a fabulous woman!

She's fab isn't she.

Hilariously this article has been shared by a couple of my "kind" friends who I presume didn't actually read all the way through.

@Brefugee, too much listening to, probably well-intentioned, but ill-informed tra's (who are also children) and less than 5 seconds of actual thought. They're young, they'll grow. I blush at some of the rubbish I thought at their age. We don't talk about this subject now, there's only so much bubble bursting a child can take. In their defence, although staggeringly naive (my god, it is Evian spelled backwards), they're loyal to and concerned for their friends. I think a little cognitive dissonance is to be expected. I'm going to show them this article when they're back.

Would be interesting to get teenage takes on it.

She's amazing. That period one with the red flow- wow.

I really like the shell one at the seaside!

Ooh and also she has a book out next month!