Pick

Painted and dyed quilt
108 x 38 cm
2026
 
Artist Statement
 
The inspiration behind this quilt starts with the afro comb (or hair pick, as it’s also known): a powerful emblem of resistance. As a child I remember my cousins making afro combs from bits of wood and the spokes of old bicycles. The comb was not just a tool to detangle black hair, but also a fashion accessory: and a symbol of pride. At the same time, it holds stories of the cultural trauma that come with black hair.
 
The quilted canvas displays two female figures – the smaller one superimposed on top of the other –  with no arms or legs; both morph into the shape of afro combs. 
 
The figure with the head covering references the New Orleans Tignon Laws of 1786, which enforced the wearing of the ‘tignon’ (a headscarf) for all Creole women of colour when in public. The Spanish colonial governor of Louisiana, Esteban Rodríguez Miró, believed that some black women had begun to show ‘too much luxury in their bearing’. The Tignon Laws were designed to control free black women; to keep them in a lower social class. This had a profound impact in the Caribbean, where it took many years for women to be proud of their natural hair; yet the story is now almost forgotten, despite its enduring implications. I wanted to recover it, and raise awareness, through this piece.
 
The smaller female figure with an unusual hair style represents the ability of black curly hair to defy gravity. While black hair is fragile in its structure, its remarkable strength and beauty is expressed in the unique styles that can be created with it. 
 
This work challenges ideas about beauty and demonstrates that strength comes with knowledge and self-acceptance.