Collection: Lebohang Motaung

I am a printmaker and hairstylist. Plaiting hair has always been part of my life. Over the years this skill has developed from a means of earning income to an area of intense research and art practice. I am fascinated by the arrangements, patterns, colour and texture of African hair as interesting subject matter to explore. In my recent work, I focuses on the activity and process of ‘doing’ hair. Imagery of hybrid hairstyles are metaphors of the subconscious and conscious relationships between myself and my clients. In my work, I use a wide range of mediums from linocut, etching, paper making and synthetic hair on paper. With my etchings I present the timeous and laborious process that I go through when plaiting hair. In my recent work, I makes portraits using hair. Hair can be a symbol of one’s identity it has the power to dictate how a person is seen. I use both human hair and synthetic hair to portray my subject matter.