A Look At "Braided," A Series Of Synthetic Hair Sculptures By Murjoni Merriweather
Here at CISED, I operate under the notion that Black is beautiful as a Black man. Though I’m always looking for dope shit from everyone regardless of skin color, I take a special interest in dope Black shit. The beauty in Blackness is its audacity to exist in the face of opposition and hate. We live our lives overcoming, whether it be grimaced glances on the street or systemic oppression.
One creator who fluently translates Blackness into art is Maryland sculptor Murjoni Merriweather. In fact, she is of the belief that “the best way to create and talk about moments of Black bodies is through art, especially claywork.” I came across her work randomly on Instagram and immediately became one of more than 20,000 others following her after viewing her work.
Her pieces that caught my eye the most were the pieces that comprise Merriweather’s “Braided” series. They are a collection of female busts crafted out of hand-braided synthetic hair over ceramic. Each bust varies in color and has a distinct hairstyle. Though there is no melanated skin to indicate the race of the subjects, they are undoubtedly Black women from the facial features to the lashes to the hairdos to the hoop earrings. Black women take unparalleled pride in their hair as is, but to create such beautiful, rare sculptures like the ones in this series is a true accomplishment. Anyone lucky enough to add one of these to their collection should feel honored to own a piece of Black excellence.
Murjoni Merriweather’s “Braided” series can be seen partially below and in full on her official website: www.mvrjoni.com (her “Grillz” series is crazy, too). She can be followed on Instagram at @mvrjoni.
“Jade”
“Nia”
“Queenie”
“Maze”
“Briana”
“Eve”
“Ambrose”
