Laetitia KY is a young Ivorian artist and activist born in 1996 in Abidjan. She followed an ordinary education in the same city where she grew up and obtained a literary baccalaureate at the age of 16 in 2012. After her baccalaureate she was accepted at the Felix Houphouët Boigny National Polytechnic Institute for studies in commerce and administration. businesses in a 3-year cycle. After her third year and her end-of-study internship, she realizes that corporate life with its codes and its monotony is not the one that suits her. In 2015 she therefore decided not to continue on this path, and to devote herself instead to her passions, Art and fashion.

In love with African culture, her personal research on the subject made her discover an Africa with an impressive aesthetic, inspiring, original in every way, especially at the hair level. The haircuts of African women in the pre-colonial era, 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 time the hairstyle becomes a spokesperson for her. The hair sculptures that she creates on her long braids, and photographs afterwards, convey a message of self-love, gender equality, 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 advocate for gender equality and encourage others, women in particular. to assume without fear and without restraint in order to flourish.

Her activism in favor of women's rights touches on a lot of subjects. Bodily empowerment, reproductive health, fight against violence, demystification of taboos concerning women's bodies and lives, self-esteem, criticism of certain systems that disadvantage women.

His popularity gradually increases but experiences a boom when one of his photo series goes viral. The series featured her hair sculpted in the shape of hands and is shared on the global web in magazines and media around the world. Today she has more than 6.5 million followers on all her social networks combined.

She is the first winner of the influencer section of the famous Elite model look contest and is now signed to the international modeling and talent agency Elite Model Word, which accompanies her on her various projects and collaborations.

She is also interested in cinema and made her debut there in 2019 by playing the role of "the queen" in "the night of kings" by Philippe Lacôte. Her second project in the cinema in 2021 is "Disco Boy" by Giacomo Abruzzese where she plays the role of Manuella / Udoka. The movie was awarded with the “Silver bear” prize at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.

In addition to cinema and hairdressing, fashion, she uses painting as another tool to support her fight. With this medium, she has the ability to create more detailed and expressive images that could hardly be portrayed with hair.

She is the author of a book "Love and Justice" a journey of empowerment, activism and embracing black beauty where she shares her personal experience, the origin of her activism, and illustrates the stories told by her artistic hair photographs.

She participates in the Venice Biennale in 2022 representing Côte d'Ivoire alongside 5 other artists and begins her gallery adventure after this opportunity with the Italian gallery Lis10 Gallery.

The magazine Forbes added her name on the 2023 list of the 30 most influential under 30 African people.

The lis10 Gallery, after having organized its first solo exhibition in its Italian gallery in Arezzo (November 2022), presented its works again on May 4th 2023, inaugurating the new French gallery in Paris.

Below a short list of the recently museum exhibitions and events where Laetitia Ky took part:

•          “Laetitia Ky. Assunta Saulle”, Made in Cloister Foundation, Naples (duo show), 03 March to 05 May 2023

•          “Osei Bonsu and Laetitia Ky”, Tate Museum, London, (art talk), 28 July 2023

•          “Des Cheveux Et Des Poils”, curated by Denis Bruna, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Louvre, Paris (group show), 05 April to 17 Sep 2023

•          “Who’s that woman”, Lis10 Gallery, Paris (solo show), 04 March to 24 June 2023

•          “Sous le regarde de Meduse”, Musée des Beaux Arts, Caen (group show), 15 May to 17 Sep 2023

•          “Follow the braid”, in collaboration with Fondazione Elpis & Galleria Continua, Rocca Sinibalda, 24 June to 24 Sep 2023

•          “Reversed safari”, curated by Alessandro Romanini, The Manege Central Exhibition Hall, St. Petersburg, 13 July to 03 Sep 2023

•          “Photoclimat”, Place de La Bastille, Paris (solo show), 14 Sep to 15 Oct 2023

•          “Africa Supernova. Carla & Pieter Shulting collection”, Kunsthal Kade, Amersfoort, 24 Sep to 7 Jan 2023

•          “Ted talk” - Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia (talk), 12 Oct 2023

•          “L’Africa e Napoli”, Maschio Angioino, Naples (group show), 26 Nov to 7 Jan

•          “Africa Tunes”, Chiesa e chiostro di Sant’Agostino, Pietrasanta, 20 Jan to 17 March 2024