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Hair is more than just an adornment. It can be a symbol of strength, beauty, health, rebellion, individuality or a sense of belonging. Hair plays a major role in the culture of remembrance and mementoes, as it is virtually imperishable as a material. In the past, decorative objects artfully crafted from the hair of the deceased served as memorials. At the same time, the fact that life and death are intertwined in this lifeless yet unruly material is somewhat unsettling.
Mariella Mosler (born 1962) uses real human hair for her hair objects – the kind imported from Asia for wig-making. She processes and dyes it, then uses traditional crochet and bobbin lace techniques to create small-scale ornamental motifs. Attached to the wall with thin needles, they appear to float. They allude to forms and symbols familiar from various contexts: plant forms from nature, geometric shapes from mathematics, or freely invented figurations such as ‘Monkey’s fist’ or ‘State cell’. Through this series of works, Mosler explores the complex web of relationships between the natural sciences, art, politics, society and language: ‘I believe that the structure of ornaments, through specific cultural techniques such as weaving and plaiting, is closely linked to language – to different linguistic structures, various grammatical or temporal systems of order that overlap, are interwoven and can relate to one another in varying hierarchical ways,’ writes Mariella Mosler.

Recommended reading on the subject:
Franziska Setare Koohestani, 'Hairy Queen. Warum Körperbehaarung politisch ist'
Laetitia Colombani, 'The Braid'