Laetitia Ky is an Ivorian contemporary artist who can sculpt her hair into anything and uses this talent to entertain her Instagram followers and speak out about social issues.
Laetitia Ky, from Ivory Coast, is all shades of creative. She is a visual artist, a fashion designer and a hair stylist. With her unique way of styling her hair, she makes sculptures that are sometimes political, beautiful or just weird. She uses coat hangers, wire, pins, needle and thread to create beautiful pieces on the top of her head.
In just over a year, Ky has gone viral on social media with her eccentric hair styles, been interviewed by big magazines such as BBC, gone to style Nigerian singer, Dija‘s hair, and launched a fashion brand, KYSTROY, that transposes the fun and versatility of the distressed jean with the originality and nativity of African print.
With over a 123,000 followers, the 21-year-old uses her Instagram as a social commentary on topics that range from pop culture, feminism and racism. In an interview with BBC, she says the three things that drive her art are a positive attitude, a passion to change the image of Africa and Feminism.
“As a feminist, everything related to women’s issues, including violence done to women, is something that greatly touches me,” Ky says. “I don’t think that one needs to be a feminist in order for this kind of thing to affect us. To be human is enough.”
Her passion to change the narrative is evident in one of her latest sculptures is a response to the #MeToo hashtag. The hair-art itself shows a man lifting up a woman’s skirt. In her caption, Ky encouraged women to speak out about sexual assault and start a revolution, subsequently opening her direct messages for people who needed to talk.