{"id":6128,"date":"2026-05-06T11:38:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=6128"},"modified":"2026-05-06T11:38:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:38:22","slug":"luscious-hair-sculptures-sprout-like-branches-in-a-symbiotic-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=6128","title":{"rendered":"Luscious Hair Sculptures Sprout Like Branches in a Symbiotic Exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Luscious<\/p>\n

A visit to Lincoln Park or the Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the outings Chicagoans rarely pass up, particularly when we need some reprieve from all the concrete and steel. Two beloved green spaces in the city, these spots boast oases blanketed in verdant foliage even in the depths of winter and house an array of specimens not native to the Midwest. <\/p>\n

For artists Merryn Omotayo Alaka<\/a> and Sam Fr\u00e9squez<\/a>, the immersive nature of a conservancy, with plants above and below and all around, became a central point for a collaborative project. Your Birth is My Birth<\/em> presents the duo\u2019s synthetic hair sculptures, which suspend from the ceiling of Jane Lombard Gallery<\/a> and splay across the wooden floor like organic growths. Alaka and Fr\u00e9squez describe the exhibition as a sort of \u201cKanekalon forest,\u201d referring to the brand behind the luscious material.<\/p>\n

\"people
Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Five different \u201cspecies\u201d emerge in the space, including Listening Roots<\/em>,\u00a0Hearing Bells<\/em>,\u00a0Mother & Child<\/em>,\u00a0Stacking Pearls<\/em>, and\u00a0Umbra Pods<\/em>. Dark, dyed locks and domed shapes are throughlines, although each takes on a distinctive form. The series are influenced by epiphytes<\/a>, non-parasitic plants that make their homes on a host specimen. Think orchids, cacti, moss, and kelp.<\/p>\n

Surging upward from lily pad-shaped discs suctioned to the floorboards, the largest sculpture is part of Listening Roots<\/em>, which tethers singular shoots to a central form. This connection between smaller pieces\u2014like the feather-duster-shaped Stacking Pearls<\/em>\u2014and more comprehensive structures recurs throughout the exhibition, gesturing toward an intimate and intentional symbiosis.<\/p>\n

Several works also reference genetics and what\u2019s passed down through generations, as mirrored forms emerge within the same vertical tendril. \u201cSimilar to an epiphyte and its host tree, these sculptural works have their own life cycles evoking systems of dependence and exchange, where one form sustains from another,\u201d says a statement.<\/p>\n

Your Birth is My Birth<\/em> is on view through June 13. Explore more from Alaka<\/a> and Fr\u00e9squez<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cStacking Pearl (Adolescent) I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 24 x 24 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods III\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Luscious Hair Sculptures Sprout Like Branches in a Symbiotic Exhibition<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A visit to Lincoln Park or the Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the outings Chicagoans rarely pass up, particularly when we need some reprieve from all the concrete and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6128\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}