Funlola Coker, MFA
Brushing, shedding, cutting, detangling, discarded … forming pathways.
These hairs from my head, light as a feather
Yet heavy with the weight of history
Each cluster of lost curls asks, who are we? How did we get here? Is this the life that we wanted? This is what we were uprooted for?
Now they are truly dead. But for a moment, just when they make contact with hot fused glass, they come back to life - crackling and dancing on the surface. Each hair takes its last breath and fizzles into the air.
Leaving its scent, an intense mark, stronger even - than when it was a part of me.
Funlola’s pieces explore the idea of impermanence, memory, rituals and the intense yearning to understand a part of herself that inspires confidence, yet a deep sense of shame. As the hair is burned onto the enamel, it physically ceases to exist, still a mark remains. It demands a place in this world. The act of drawing is quick and unburdened by thoughts. Once the piece loses heat, the opportunity to draw is gone. The end result is akin to self portrait.
