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Sandro Miller

My Hair, My Soul, My Freedom

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'My Hair, My Soul, My Freedom' celebrates the diversity, artistry and beauty of black women’s hair. From cornrows, to braids, locks, weaves, natural or straightened hair; the diverse array of black hairstyles (or ‘crowns’, as they are called in Afro-American slang) has an historic, social and spiritual meaning, and plays an important role for the identity of black women in today’s society.

Sandro Miller (US, 1958) is one of the world’s most celebrated advertisement photographers. For his personal projects he focuses mainly on portraiture with a humanistic approach, addressing social issues across the globe.

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Inspired by the experiences of his wife Claude-Aline Nazaire - who has ancestral roots in Haïti, the Dominican Republic and America - Miller explored the way in which black women express their personality, pride and heritage through their hairdos. For the resulting series ‘CROWNS: My Hair, My Soul, My Freedom’ (2016-2019), the artist asked each participating women - first in Chicago, and starting from 2019 also in Johannesburg and Dakar - to share her personal ‘hair story’ with him. Working with a hair stylist and makeup artist, a style of hair was then achieved that the sitter has worn, or would be willing to wear out into the world today. Each woman’s skin was depicted with the same black tone, that serves as an equalizer that turned the sculptural hairdos into the focal point. The women were positioned in front of a deep black or brightly patterned fabric, the latter inspired by and including several African prints. The backgrounds were selected based on the individuality of the models and the shapes and colours in their hair. The contrast between the deep skin tone and the vibrant colours at the back, lends the images great vibrancy and dimensionality.

Next to honoring black hair, beauty and pride, this series urges the viewer to reflect on the fact that black women in the US haven’t always had the freedom to wear their hair the way they wanted. There was the dehumanizing practice of shaving African women’s hair during slavery (thus erasing important signifiers of culture and identity) and a 1786 Louisiana law requiring black women to cover their hair in public. Following examples of black women whose hairstyles were considered ‘inappropriate’ or ‘unprofessional’ by their school or corporate environment, by passing the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act, California recently became the first American state to ban discrimination based on race-based hairstyles. The personal and political importance of black hair is also featured in popular culture. From the song ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ of American singer Solange Knowles to the bestseller ‘Americanah’ from the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (about a Nigerian female immigrant in the US, in which the practice of styling or relaxing hair to conform to European beauty standards, is extensively discussed): they all testify to the complex bond a black woman has with her hair and how she can use it to reclaim power over her own body.

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