About this artwork
After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, traditional hairstyles, along with other body arts, made a comeback as forms of resistance to colonialism’s “progressive” westernization. Some of these elaborate hairstyles required more than a week’s work. They were given names freighted with cultural references; the one seen here is called Ife Bronze, referring to a group of 12th-century copper heads unearthed in 1938 at Ife in Nigeria. Studio photographer J. D. ’Okhai Ojeikere began recording these elaborate designs in 1968 and eventually made some 1,000 images over a period of decades. Ojeikere collaborated with stylists and placed his sitters against neutral backgrounds, photographing the back or side of the head to produce a sculptural presentation of the hairstyle as opposed to a conventional portrait.
-
Status
- Currently Off View
-
Department
- Photography and Media
-
Artist
- J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere
-
Title
- Ife Bronze, from the series "Hairstyles"
-
Place
- Nigeria (Artist's nationality:)
-
Date
- Made 1972
-
Medium
- Gelatin silver print
-
Dimensions
- Image/paper: 27.9 × 18 cm (11 × 7 1/8 in.)
-
Credit Line
- Purchased with funds provided by Robin and Sandy Stuart
-
Reference Number
- 2015.93
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
