The reclamation of Black hair in Nneka Kai’s ‘On Unstable Grounds’

Emerging from discarded cans, strung across a salvaged frame and coiling to make a vessel — hair, specifically Black hair, is the defining medium of Nneka Kai’s solo exhibition On Unstable Grounds at Day & Night Projects. 

The exhibition begins with The Signal is the Sign (2025). A nearly 6-foot sculpture composed of braided hair coiled to create a sort of beehive shape, this animated artwork greets visitors just inside the entry. Embedded within the coils of hair are a soundboard and speakers. Using three different audio channels, the sculpture plays a live stream of the local NPR station, a constant loop of a descending sine wave and a dial tone for a telephone. Viewers are encouraged to use dials to raise and lower the volume of each audio channel. 

In this work, hair is a vessel, both literally and metaphorically. Kai uses the three-dimensionality of the braids as a ceramicist would clay — shaping and morphing it — which emphasizes the very real handiwork behind the intricate art of braiding Black hair. This sculptural piece is then used as a vessel through which sound is integrated, which lends itself to the idea of Black hair as a living art form.

Turning the corner, the exhibition changes direction. Braid Can is much as the title describes. A severely battered metal can, punctured with large holes, rests on a pedestal, and out of the orifices emerge braids of hair which trail down the sides of the can before re-entering through other holes. The braids seem to inhabit the can similar to the way new life spawns from decaying organic matter; so, too, do these braids grow out from the can. While a through line of vivification is present, this artwork centers Black hair in a totally different light — as a living organic form rather than a constitutive vessel.

On the opposite wall hangs Double Dutch. Two arcs begin from the same origin, diverge, then reconverge. One arc is made of steel, the other of wood and acrylic beads, and each is bookended with the handles of jump ropes. The divergent nature of the two “ropes” circumscribes a large void on the gallery wall, as if one rope has been caught mid-flight, the other at rest. 

Here again, the exhibition veers drastically. This artwork mimics a joyful schoolyard game of double Dutch, evoking memories of child’s play. The use of beads in this piece provides a visual connection to the lifelong care for Black hair that begins in childhood.

While the variety of artwork in this exhibition offers a testament to the connotations and social constructs tied to Black hair, I found it difficult to grasp any deeper understanding beyond appreciation of the exhibit’s variety. 

Historically, Black hair and Black hairstyles are often judged and even vilified through microaggressions, unjust workplace policies and socio-cultural constructs. In her artist statement on the Day & Night Projects website, Nneka’s work is posited to confront issues of freedom and conformity through hair. When viewing this exhibition, I wondered if  the slew of connotations associated with Black hair strengthened or weakened its significance?  

I left this show wishing for a more focused analysis of Black hair, one which explores the intricacies of hair care practice and the history of its significance. While pleasing to look at, I felt that this exhibition’s impact missed an opportunity to delve deeper into this topic. 

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Leia Genis is a trans artist and writer currently based in Atlanta. Her writing has been published in Hyperallergic, Frieze, Burnaway, Art Papers and Number: Inc. magazine. Genis is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design and is also an avid cyclist with a competition history at the national level.