Jaeha Jang, Contributing Photographer

Upon walking up the stairs to the third floor of the Schwarzman Center, visitors face an elegant, hairy surprise. Bold, vinyl strands of braided hair adorn the beige walls of the Dome Gallery, complementing the black railings.

“RUSUNUNGUKO (liberty / independence / freedom)” is an exhibit created by Nontsikelelo Mutiti, the director of graduate studies in graphic design at the School of Art. The piece embodies the complexity of freedom as well as the importance of hair braiding in Black culture, according to the curatorial pamphlet.

“The piece is a reflection on what that freedom promised and what it brought,” Mutiti said.

Some strands are intertwined; others stand alone. Some strands change direction and size according to the room’s architecture, wrapping around door frames and shrinking in length as they move up the stairs. 

The entire work is made out of adhesive vinyl, cut by a fabricator. 

According to Mutiti, the exhibit highlights “how codified life can be” in the United States, her “host land.” Mutiti hails from Zimbabwe and is a part of the “Born Free” generation — a generation of people who were born following the country’s independence in 1980. 

Her upbringing in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, largely informed her art-making, Mutiti said. Her experiences in both Zimbabwe and the United States have also shaped her notion of freedom. 

“I have been thinking about my life and how living [abroad] may be perceived by my peers back home,” she said. “There is a perception of having access to better services, more products, more opportunities and a better lifestyle, an ability to speak one’s opinion more freely.”

These expectations, however, are not fully true. According to Mutiti, there are tensions, strains and complexities, as well as different systems she had to adjust to, even “ in [the] land of the free and the home of the brave.” 

Similarly, freedom in Zimbabwe was riddled by different “stresses and contradictions,” she said. In the years following independence, the country faced waves of civil unrest, labor strikes and protests from students, trade unionists, civil servants and doctors. 

Vicky Cantú ’28 thought the decision to separate each braid, instead of keeping them in a collective, reflected how American culture tends to dissect individual identities.

“You have the individual,” she said, “and you are taking the individual part by part.”

According to Carlynne Robinson, the exhibition and bookings manager at the Schwarzman Center, Mutiti was able to familiarize herself with the Dome Gallery last year when her exhibitions design class contributed to “ANIMAL: A Listening Gym,” Ash Fure’s performance residency in the Dome

Robinson said that given Mutiti’s interest in and knowledge of the unique curved architecture of the gallery, the “natural next step” was to invite her to create a site-specific piece.

“I was glad to have such an [interesting space] to respond to,” Mutiti said. “It is not usual to have curved walls to work on.”

While Mutiti has a background in figurative painting, she turned her attention to the form of graphic design to serve a broader audience. Much like this medium, Robinson said that the spaces at the Schwarzman Center are accessible and open to Yale students and faculty, as well as the greater New Haven community.

“RUSUNUNGUKO” marks the first time the Dome Gallery has been used as a space for exhibition. According to Robinson, more and more spaces in the Schwarzman Center have been activated as exhibition spaces for art. 

In spring 2023, the Well Gallery was activated, followed by the opening of the Presidents’ Gallery in May 2023. Now, the Dome Gallery has joined the club.

Robinson said that the locations at the Schwarzman Center are important because they are open both to the Yale community and the greater New Haven public at no charge. 

While Cantú thought the location of the exhibit was difficult to find, she said that the space evokes a sense of intimacy that aligns with the piece.

“It’s too far up,” she said. “It does talk about the intimacy of where people do braids. This feels like an intimate place.”

“RUSUNUNGUKO” will remain at the Dome Gallery until June 6, 2025.