Dazed Beauty presents Tallawah, a new exhibition by photographer Nadine Ijewere and hairstylist Jawara Wauchope celebrating the way Jamaican women across generations and countries express their selfhood and culture through their hair.

‘Tallawah’ – named for the Jamaican Patois word meaning very strong-willed, fearless, and not to be underestimated or taken lightly – comprises a series of images shot in Kingston, Jamaica and London, UK and is Wauchope’s ode to being raised around 90s Dancehall culture.

Working with Jamaicans across generations, Wauchope calls forth the heritage of Jamaican Dancehall style and amplifies each subject’s personal identity. Ijewere, meanwhile, gives the subjects context, relationality, and agency their vital photographic form. This intricate process of manifesting their creative sense of responsibility to their photographic subjects is at the heart of Ijewere and Wauchope’s collaboration. 

“This project is very close to my heart,” Ijewere says. “It was empowering to be able to explore part of my heritage by photographing these beautiful strong people. The relationship between hair and identity is one I wanted to capture and celebrate – it’s a story that’s important to tell.”

Text vby Dazed Beauty