A NATURAL

The ‘Afro’ or ‘natural’ worn by activists of the 1960s and 70s civil rights movement signified the coming together of people—a collective oneness in the fight to overcome oppression. Recently the ‘natural’ has been making a comeback, adopted by a whole new generation. This comes at a time when black hair has never been more political, with natural styles being banned in schools and the workplace.

In this durational day-long performance, Ray draws on their other trade as a hairdresser in an attempt to unpick the politics of natural hair by doing what comes naturally—dressing hair.

A Natural was first performed as part of Little Wolf Parade at Bonington Gallery Nottingham in autumn 2017.