Dark and Lovely: Black hair and identity

So far, we’ve celebrated Cultural Identity month by chatting with My Africa Is producer Nosa Garrick, and Independent journalist Yasmin-Alibhai Brown. We’ve talked about skin whiteners with the Writers of Colour, and heard about Islamic feminism from Tehmina Kazi.

Today, we’re bringing you a new face: the up-and-coming artist Selina Thompson. She was kind enough to make us a video explaining what she’s been working on: Dark and Lovely, an installation performance piece up in Leeds that made waves (literally) at the beginning of this year.

Some would say it was impossible to express all that in one installation – but not Selina. Her answer? A giant tumbleweave! ‘It’s about how people define themselves on their own terms, and how they connect who they are on the inside with how they are on the outside.’

Intrigued? Curiosity piqued? We thought so. You’ll have to watch the video to find out more…

Thanks to Selina for her contribution. Don’t forget to watch her mirror video, and tell us your own story.