Still of Lasting ’til Sunday, filmed in the Art Institute of Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room, 2025
Nneka Kai. Courtesy of the artist.
“On those Sundays, my mother taught me how to last.
The techniques and practices behind black hair braiding and styling have persisted across time and geographies. Their legacy is reflected in several objects featured in the On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival, like the Bamiléké hat, Adinkra wrapper, and Adinkra hair stamps pictured below. These objects position hair braiding as an ephemeral textile, an extension of the body that moves and journeys with it.
Join artist Nneka Kai as she transforms the exhibition’s galleries into an intimate space of care, recreating her childhood ritual of Sunday hair-braiding sessions—moments where the body and hair became tools of resistance and survival, serving as both medium and message for lessons in touch, memory, and kinship.
About the Artist
Nneka Kai is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and writer based in upstate NY, and an alumnus of the Fiber and Materials Studies department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
What to Expect
Lasting ’til Sunday is an all-day performance, with some intermittent breaks. Visitors can drop in any time during museum public hours. The performance can be found inside the On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival exhibition galleries in Gallery 59, which can be accessed by elevator and stairs. Space is limited and visitors may need to wait before entering. Limited seating is available.
