Eye of the beholder

February 13, 2014 7:51 AM

Nigerian photographer J.D Okhai Ojeikere passed away last weekend, but at the age of 83 he left behind a truly incredible body of work celebrating Nigerian culture. These photos from his Hairstyles series are part of an archive of nearly 1000 pictures showing the intricate hair-dos of African women taken at work, social engagements and in the streets of Lagos. The beautifully composed black and white images draw attention to the sculptural quality of the hair, almost elevating it to an art form in itself. It goes without saying that his work is a unique treasure of historical and anthropological importance.

Via
posted by infini (6 comments total)

Great post, thank you. Best of the web.
posted by nevercalm at 7:56 AM on February 13, 2014 [4 favorites]

check out the Don King hairstyle!

Hairlarious
posted by Colonel Panic at 8:29 AM on February 13, 2014

The hairstyles stuff – the glimpses we can see of it here – is amazing. He was right. It is an art form, and it's astonishing what people people can and could do with it.

I wish I could see some of his other photography that some of the articles talk about.
posted by nangar at 12:40 PM on February 13, 2014

One has to dig but found some from the KIASMA exhibit of a couple years ago.
posted by infini at 1:01 PM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Wow! Those hairstyles are beautiful. So glad they were documented.
posted by BlueHorse at 6:11 PM on February 13, 2014

Wonderful photographs of an underappreciated art form, more so for its ephemeral nature. Loved these. Thanks so much for posting.
posted by kinnakeet at 7:36 AM on February 14, 2014