While most of us can just about manage a basic braid or messy bun, New York-based actress and artist Laetitia KY can style her hair into all kinds of designs and shapes. Originally from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, she uses her natural coils as a medium for artistic expression, creating intricate hairstyles that celebrate her culture and identity
KY has spent almost 10 years exploring the creative possibilities of hair. Her elaborate creations blur the line between hairstyle and sculpture, transforming braids into everything from animals and food to geometric forms. Each gravity-defying piece showcases her remarkable ability to shape hair into unexpected works of art. Some of KY’s most imaginative designs even seem to take on a life of their own. KY often adds hair hands to the ends of her braids, transforming them into arm-like extensions that interact with the world around her.
For one series, KY draws inspiration from pre-colonial African hairstyles, carefully recreating historical designs based on archival photographs. These elaborate styles often conveyed information about a person’s age, social status, tribe, ethnic identity, and marital status. Hair also carried deep spiritual significance, symbolizing qualities such as fertility, vitality, and connection to community. By sharing her recreations, KY highlights the incredible artistry of these traditional hairstyles and shows just how modern and innovative they still look today.
In another series, KY created hair sculptures inspired by Adinkra symbols, a visual language developed by the Akan people of present-day Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Each symbol carries its own meaning, representing ideas such as wisdom, strength, unity, and resilience. While there are over 100 Adinkra symbols, KY chose seven to represent with hair. One piece depictsDwennimmen (“ram’s horns”), a symbol of strength, humility, and wisdom, while another recreates Duafe (“wooden comb”), which represents femininity, patience, care, and love.
“Every time I finish one hairstyle and I watch myself in the mirror, I think, ‘this is my new everyday hairstyle,’” shares KY. “I am way too lazy to do those styles every day, but you get the point. It makes me feel truly beautiful.” The artist adds, “Cultures are made by humans; therefore, no culture in this world is perfect. African culture, in all its diversity and differences, has its flaws but has so much more beauty. Being able to do this work makes me feel like I belong to something, even though I don’t understand all of this ‘something.’ It still feels good.”
Check out some of her incredible hair art below and find more by following Laetitia KY on Instagram
Artist Laetitia KY uses her natural coils as a medium for artistic expression, creating sculptural hairstyles that celebrate her culture and identity
Her elaborate creations blur the line between hairstyling and sculpture, transforming braids into everything from animals and food to geometric forms
Each gravity-defying piece showcases her remarkable ability to shape hair into unexpected works of art
Some of KY’s most imaginative designs even seem to take on a life of their own
For this series, KY drew inspiration from pre-colonial African hairstyles, carefully recreating historical designs based on archival photographs
KY has spent almost ten years exploring the creative possibilities of hair, and there’s no limits to what she can create
KY puts an incredible amount of effort and time into each look. For this video, she needed to create around 10 styles to complete the story
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