Merryn Omotayo Alaka and Sam Frésquez Transform Kanekalon Hair into Sculptural Forest

At Jane Lombard Gallery in Tribeca, Manhattan, the exhibition "Your Birth is My Birth" by Merryn Omotayo Alaka and Sam Frésquez presents a "Kanekalon forest" of biomorphic sculptures made from synthetic hair. The works, part of their ongoing Hairland series initiated in 2017, use Kanekalon hair—a brand of synthetic fiber—steamed, cut, and sewn by hand onto welded metal structures. The sculptures, including "Listening Roots," "Stacking Pearl (Adolescent), and "Hearing Bells" (all 2026), explore themes of care, identity, and the synthetic-organic boundary. The material evokes communal hair care traditions central to Black and Latine queer, gender, and racial identity. The exhibition runs through June 13.