Minneapolis Institute of Art

Comb

Yaka artist

Date

mid 20th century

Medium

Wood

Culture

Yaka

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hairstyles have long reflected personal aesthetics in African and African-American cultures. And when adorned with extensions, beads, pins, or combs, they can indicate a person’s status, ethnic origin, gender, profession, or even what phase of life they’re in. These three combs, from West and Central Africa, show how African artists turn even everyday objects into accomplished carvings. Yaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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