Anya Paintsil, b. 1993, Welsh & Ghanaian #textileart

Based in Chester, Anya Paintsil is a Welsh and Ghanaian artist working primarily with textiles. Frequently using weaves, braids and other hair pieces (as well as her own hair), Paintsil laces debates around race and gender into the very fabric of her work. via https://www.edcrossfineart.com/artists/44-anya-paintsil/overview/

Anya Paintsil works at the intersection of textile and sculpture, engaged in practices like rug-hooking, embroidery, and tapestry-making, some of which she learned from family members. In terms of material, she frequently incorporates weaves, braids, and other hair pieces into her works. Painstil’s oeuvre—which explores topics such as the female gaze, personal relationships, and collective prejudices—are informed by the artist’s experiences growing up in North Wales in a mixed-race family. The work Ni yn unig (2020)—whose title translates to “only us” in Welsh, Paintsil’s first language—is based on a childhood photograph. Painstil depicts herself and her sister as disembodied faces, exaggerating their Afrocentric features against the white background. Although Paintsil most frequently uses synthetic hair in her pieces, the personal aspect of Ni yn unig called for the artist to use her own hair. via artsy