ABOUT THE WORK
Material: CHARCOAL, SYNTHETIC HAIR, FABRIC
Hair on Himba women is seen as a symbol of fertility, where thick braids and lustrous hair indicate a woman's... Read More
Hair on Himba women is seen as a symbol of fertility, where thick braids and lustrous hair indicate a woman's ability to bear healthy children. Ozondato refers to the two braids prepubescent girls sport before they are allowed to make them into smaller red braids. The red pigment on the skin and hair of Himba women is from red ochre, which is made by mixing crushed ochre stone with butter. The colour red signifies blood and life and is mainly used to differentiate between men and women as it’s an aesthetic practice. Here, she has just turned her ozondato into smaller braids. She wears her braids to the front, covering her face, which helps her avoid male attention and signifies that she has hit puberty but is not yet ready to marry. I used thin strands to further illustrate that she’s not ready to bear children.
