Under the soft hue of magenta neon lights with upbeat rhythm and blues thumping in the background, elaborate hairstyles, paintings and films created by Black artists were on display.
The art was part of the third annual Crépu: Our DNA Black hair art show, hosted by Hors Pair Social and the Moving Art Gallery on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2. The second night featured live performances, hair care demonstrations and runways, all in celebration of Black hair.
Sandra Dusabe of the Moving Art Gallery said she estimates between 400 and 500 people attended the event throughout the two days at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum. She said the highlight of the event was seeing a community come together.
“There’s something really intangible about being with people and being able to see each other’s faces and hear each other’s voices,” Dusabe said. “It goes to show how people are committed to actually supporting and being present.”
After opening remarks and two spoken-word poems written and performed by Dominique Gené* at the Feb. 2 event, the crowd watched live hairstyling and barber demonstrations from the two co-founders of Frizé Frizé hair services and the owner of mobile barbershop ROVN.
The three presenters engaged in casual conversation as they cut and styled hair for their friends and clients. They also answered hair care-related questions from the audience.
Sarah Ngenzi, a University of Ottawa student who attended the event, said the hairstyling and barber demonstrations were her favourite part of the night.
“It was really interesting to see the interactions in real time,” Ngenzi said.
Following the hair care demonstrations, models presented the editorial hairstyles of creatives DRS Anointed, Empress Charifa and Montessa Barahoga.
Professionally known as DRS Anointed, Delize Scott’s designs featured three models dressed in white long-sleeve shirts and dress pants. Each model’s hairstyle reached more than a foot in height with simple accessories throughout to tie into golden, accenting decor within their outfits.
Models strutted the runway to “Umbrella” by Rihanna and JAY-Z, with one of the models holding a golden handle tied to her hair to represent an umbrella itself.
“This collection was to represent the seasons,” Scott said. “The stars, the suns, the brightness and then some winter … with a bit of thunder.”
Scott’s design won the most audience votes for their favourite of the three runway collections.
Charifa told the audience she wanted to symbolize non-conformity and duality with her two models: one in an off-white dress with fluffy, elevated white hair and red face paint, and the other with a long dark brown dress and black wings with a high ponytail hair shape and accompanying braids.
She said the model in off-white represents “a person that’s more free-spirited and open to exploring a lot of new things.”
Meanwhile, she said the model in the brown dress represents someone more “tied up, trying to conform to everything.”
“I wanted to represent the fact that if you embrace the joyful, childish side of you … and if you also embrace your side that wants to conform to society without judging yourself, you can have a balanced life,” Charifa said to the audience.
To booming cheers from the crowd, Barahoga’s runway saw four Black women in white dresses, with shining pearls throughout their elaborate hair braids and designs.
Barahoga said she chose pearls to best represent Black beauty.
“The process of a pearl’s formation — starting from an irritant and becoming something precious — I believe mirrors Black individuals who, despite facing adversary, still come out shining on the other side,” she said.
During a 30-minute break between showcases, attendees mingled in the event room, alive with music from DJ Velvet.
Beauty consultants were available at a booth for questions from people seeking advice about hair care. Oils, products, candles and other items were also available for purchase from Black-owned businesses at vending stations.
Vibrant paintings by local Black artists, like Teju Oladipo and Danayit Zeru, lined the walls around the room.
Attendees made their way to the museum’s auditorium after the break for a musical performance by Kezi, a singer-songwriter from Burundi.
Donning white jean shorts and a golden-brown bikini top embellished with shells and stones, Kezi sang and danced to covers and original songs.
Two short films and a panel discussion with the filmmakers ended the night.
Alicia Harris’s film, On a Sunday at Eleven, which originally screened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, is about a Black ballerina finding strength in her ancestral roots, despite pressure to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards.
“It’s essentially about the feeling of being the only Black girl in the room, and how even when we are the only one in the room physically, we have our ancestors or real Black people in our life that are always uplifting us,” Harris said during the panel.
Aïcha Morin-Balde’s film Noeuds is a documentary exploring three Montreal-based Black women’s journeys to embracing their natural hair.
At the panel, Morin-Balde said part of her documentary included her own story.
“It wasn’t initially my intention to be in front of the camera,” she said. “But it definitely helped me, because it took me a very long time to understand my hair and appreciate it.”
After the event, Dusabe said she hopes people who attended could appreciate the art by local creatives, and maybe walk away feeling inspired to create on their own.
“There’s a lot of really great people making great art in the city,” she said. “I hope something that people can take away from this event is that if you have a project that you want to do … just take a chance on yourself.”
*Dominique Gené was a Charlatan news editor in the 2022-2023 publication year.
Featured image by Murray Oliver/The Charlatan.
