The Tone: Taiba Akhuetie transforms hair into high art at London exhibition
‘The Tone: Taiba’s World of Hair’ at the Sarabande Foundation challenges perceptions of Black identity, the natural hair movement, and the boundary between craft and fine art.
Hair artist Taiba Akhuetie has opened her latest exhibition, The Tone: Taiba’s World of Hair, at the Sarabande Foundation in London. Running from 22 to 24 May 2026, the show presents large-scale installations constructed from human and synthetic hair, transforming mundane objects such as umbrellas, handbags, and tables into sculptural works. Akhuetie, a 34-year-old artist based in Hackney, uses the medium to explore themes of Black identity, the natural hair movement, and the perception of hair as art.
The exhibition features works that create an eerie quality of taxidermy, adorning items like brollies, chairs, and lampshades with long, chunky braids and loose, pin-straight strands. The centrepiece is a large, cylindrical patchwork of different types of hair stitched together, titled The Tone. This piece, composed of numerous colours and textures, speaks to the exhibition’s title, which Akhuetie describes as referencing various racialised undertones, including the expectation for Black individuals to tone themselves down to be relatable.
Akhuetie’s career has bridged the gap between community salon work and global couture. In 2014, she launched Keash Braids with schoolfriend Jessy Linton, which evolved into a permanent salon in Peckham. Her transition to art began during lockdown when she started creating installations from hair scraps. Her viral success followed with an umbrella affixed with dirty-blond hair, which garnered 100,000 views on TikTok. This visibility led to high-profile commissions, including a bespoke braided Louis Vuitton handbag for Rihanna in 2021, and styling for Nigerian singer Tems and film star Cate Blanchett.
Despite her celebrity clientele, Akhuetie maintains a grounded approach to her materials and message. She sources her hair from local suppliers such as Pak’s in Dalston, using brands like Impression and X-Pression, rather than upmarket braiding hair brands. This choice ensures an authenticity that mirrors the viewer’s own experience. One specific work, Don’t Touch My Table, features resin beads on its underside, referencing the natural hair movement’s slogan to challenge the urge to touch Black hair. Akhuetie notes that she wants viewers to question why they feel compelled to touch someone’s hair, treating it with the same boundary as any other part of the body.
The exhibition marks a personal milestone for Akhuetie, who initially felt insecure about being a Black person studying art. She hopes to counter the notion that hair styling is not true art, highlighting the skill and creativity central to styling Black women’s hair. By presenting her work in a gallery setting, she aims to show that hair can be a legitimate medium for artistic expression, inviting confusion and intrigue while celebrating its inherent beauty.