Laetitia KY is a young Ivorian artist and activist born in 1996 in Abidjan. She attended ordinary school in the same city where she grew up and graduated in high school at the age of 16 in 2012. After her baccalaureate she is accepted at the National Polytechnic Institute Felix Houphouët Boigny for business administration studies in a 3-year cycle. After her third year and final internship, she realizes that corporate life with its codes and monotony is not the one that suits her. In 2015 she decided not to continue on this path, and instead to devote herself to her passions, Art and Fashion.

In love with African culture, her personal research on the subject makes her discover an Africa with an impressive aesthetic, inspiring, original in every way, especially on a capillary level. The hairstyles of African women in the pre-colonial period, expressive and unusual immediately caught her attention and created a click in her.

Having a natural ease in the practice of hairdressing, this discovery was an infinite source of inspiration and the beginning of everything. She realizes that hair, beyond the aesthetic aspect, could represent a means of expression and a strong identity mark. At this moment the hairstyle becomes for her a voice carrier. The hair sculptures she creates on her long braids, and then photographs, convey a message of self-esteem, equality of sexes, acceptance of differences, tolerance. Each sculpture individually conveys a particular message but the general idea behind all the works, in addition to representing beauty and black aesthetics, is to encourage others to assume themselves without fear and restraint in order to flourish.
She uses her art to advocate for women’s rights around the world especially African women.

Her popularity is increased gradually but knows a boom when one of her photo series becomes viral. The series featured her hand-carved hair and is shared on the world’s web in magazines and media around the world. Besides hair, She also use painting as a mean of expression and a way to fight for women rights.

She is the first winner of the influencer section of the famous Elite model look contest and is today signed in the international agency of model and talent ELITE MODEL WORD that accompanies her on her various projects and collaborations.

She is also interested in cinema and made her debut there in 2019 playing the role of «the queen» in «the night of kings» by Philippe Lacôte. Her second film project in 2021 was with Giacomo Abbruzesse’s ‘DISCO BOY’ where she played the role of MANUELLA/UDOKA.
In addition to cinema, hairsclupting, painting, fashion and content creation are fields she undertakes.

She is the author of the book «LOVE AND JUSTICE» a journey of empowerment, activism and embracing black beauty” where she shares her personal experience on the path of self-love and activism, the illustrious of her capillary artistic photographs.

Exhibition : 59° Biennale di Venezia, national pavillion of Coté D’Ivoire, 23 april – 28 nov 2022