{"id":1921296,"date":"2026-05-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1921296"},"modified":"2026-05-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T21:00:00","slug":"luscious-hair-sculptures-sprout-like-branches-in-a-symbiotic-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1921296","title":{"rendered":"Luscious Hair Sculptures Sprout Like Branches in a Symbiotic Exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-4.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a collection of suspended hair sculptures at various lengths. one emerges from pods on the floor\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich. All images courtesy of Jane Lombard Gallery, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Luscious Hair Sculptures Sprout Like Branches in a Symbiotic Exhibition<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-06T13:38:22-05:00\">May 6, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/gebert\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Grace Ebert<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F05%2Fmerryn-omotayo-alaka-sam-fresquez-hair-sculptures%2F&amp;title=Luscious%20Hair%20Sculptures%20Sprout%20Like%20Branches%20in%20a%20Symbiotic%20Exhibition\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#99a6eaecfbf3fcfaeda4d5eceafaf0f6eceabcaba9d1f8f0ebbcaba9cafaecf5e9edecebfceabcaba9cae9ebf6ecedbcaba9d5f0f2fcbcaba9dbebf8f7faf1fceabcaba9f0f7bcaba9f8bcaba9cae0f4fbf0f6edf0fabcaba9dce1f1f0fbf0edf0f6f7bff8f4e9a2fbf6fde0a4d5eceafaf0f6eceabcaba9d1f8f0ebbcaba9cafaecf5e9edecebfceabcaba9cae9ebf6ecedbcaba9d5f0f2fcbcaba9dbebf8f7faf1fceabcaba9f0f7bcaba9f8bcaba9cae0f4fbf0f6edf0fabcaba9dce1f1f0fbf0edf0f6f7bcaba9bcdcabbca1a9bca0adbcaba9f1edede9eabcaad8bcabdfbcabdfeeeeeeb7edf1f0eaf0eafaf6f5f6eaeaf8f5b7faf6f4bcabdfaba9abafbcabdfa9acbcabdff4fcebebe0f7b4f6f4f6edf8e0f6b4f8f5f8f2f8b4eaf8f4b4ffebfceae8ecfce3b4f1f8f0ebb4eafaecf5e9edecebfceabcabdf\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"473721\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A visit to Lincoln Park or the Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the outings Chicagoans rarely pass up, particularly when we need some reprieve from all the concrete and steel. Two beloved green spaces in the city, these spots boast oases blanketed in verdant foliage even in the depths of winter and house an array of specimens not native to the Midwest. <\/p>\n<p>For artists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merrynalaka.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Merryn Omotayo Alaka<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.samfresquez.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sam Fr\u00e9squez<\/a>, the immersive nature of a conservancy, with plants above and below and all around, became a central point for a collaborative project. <em>Your Birth is My Birth<\/em> presents the duo\u2019s synthetic hair sculptures, which suspend from the ceiling of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.janelombardgallery.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jane Lombard Gallery<\/a> and splay across the wooden floor like organic growths. Alaka and Fr\u00e9squez describe the exhibition as a sort of \u201cKanekalon forest,\u201d referring to the brand behind the luscious material.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473721\" title=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\" data-rl_title=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\" data-rl_caption=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1546\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-1.jpg\" alt=\"people walk through a collection of suspended hair sculptures at various lengths. one emerges from pods on the floor\" class=\"wp-image-473723\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Five different \u201cspecies\u201d emerge in the space, including <em>Listening Roots<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Hearing Bells<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Mother &amp; Child<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Stacking Pearls<\/em>, and\u00a0<em>Umbra Pods<\/em>. Dark, dyed locks and domed shapes are throughlines, although each takes on a distinctive form. The series are influenced by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Epiphyte\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">epiphytes<\/a>, non-parasitic plants that make their homes on a host specimen. Think orchids, cacti, moss, and kelp.<\/p>\n<p>Surging upward from lily pad-shaped discs suctioned to the floorboards, the largest sculpture is part of <em>Listening Roots<\/em>, which tethers singular shoots to a central form. This connection between smaller pieces\u2014like the feather-duster-shaped <em>Stacking Pearls<\/em>\u2014and more comprehensive structures recurs throughout the exhibition, gesturing toward an intimate and intentional symbiosis.<\/p>\n<p>Several works also reference genetics and what\u2019s passed down through generations, as mirrored forms emerge within the same vertical tendril. \u201cSimilar to an epiphyte and its host tree, these sculptural works have their own life cycles evoking systems of dependence and exchange, where one form sustains from another,\u201d says a statement.<\/p>\n<p><em>Your Birth is My Birth<\/em> is on view through June 13. Explore more from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/merrynalaka\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alaka<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/samfresquez\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fr\u00e9squez<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-8.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473721\" title=\"\u201cStacking Pearl (Adolescent) I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 24 x 24 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cStacking Pearl (Adolescent) I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 24 x 24 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cStacking Pearl (Adolescent) I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 24 x 24 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1876\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-8.jpg\" alt=\"a hair sculpture that swooshes out onto the floor with three bulbs at the top like a handle\" class=\"wp-image-473730\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cStacking Pearl (Adolescent) I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 24 x 24 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473721\" title=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\" data-rl_title=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\" data-rl_caption=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-2.jpg\" alt=\"a collection of suspended hair sculptures at various lengths\" class=\"wp-image-473724\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473721\" title=\"Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2126\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-6.jpg\" alt=\"a detail the underside of a hair sculpture with a wide bell shape and smaller fringe inside\" class=\"wp-image-473728\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods I\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473721\" title=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\" data-rl_title=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\" data-rl_caption=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-3.jpg\" alt=\"a collection of suspended hair sculptures at various lengths. one emerges from pods on the floor\" class=\"wp-image-473725\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473721\" title=\"Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods III\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches\" data-rl_title=\"Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods III\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods III\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1827\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-7.jpg\" alt=\"a detail the underside of a hair sculpture with a wide bell shape and smaller fringe inside\" class=\"wp-image-473729\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of \u201cUmbra Pods III\u201d (2026), Kanekalon hair and steel support, 45 x 27 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473721\" title=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\" data-rl_title=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\" data-rl_caption=\"Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1404\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/alaka-5.jpg\" alt=\"a collection of suspended hair sculptures at various lengths and some emerge from pods on the floor\" class=\"wp-image-473727\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of \u2018Your Birth is My Birth.\u2019 Photo by Adam Reich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget 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Reich. All images courtesy of Jane Lombard Gallery, shared with permission Luscious Hair Sculptures Sprout Like Branches in a Symbiotic Exhibition May 6, 2026 Art Grace Ebert Share Email Bookmark A visit to Lincoln Park or the Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1921296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1921296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1921296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1921296\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1921296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1921296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1921296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}