Taking part in Onehunga’s art walk is the amazing artist Mary Dah Fairy. We were delighted to get to know this Nigerian born, Tāmaki based artist and excited to share them with you.
Mary Adeosun, also known as Mary Dah Fairy, is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work is deeply rooted in the connections they have with their ancestors within the Black diaspora. Specializing in hair art, Mary revitalizes African hair techniques to explore the pleasure, healing, and beauty of reimagining ways to connect with the community.
Born Nigerian and Queer, and now based in Tāmaki, Mary navigates various intersections of identity, often feeling the weight of displacement. Their art reflects these layers, pushing for new ways of relating to each other, especially in a world that can feel increasingly disconnected and exploitative.
1) What was your earliest memory of art/creativity?
One of my earliest memories of creativity was participating in Christmas plays at church. I often played the character Mary, but my favorite role was the innkeeper’s wife. I really got into the part! Outside of that, I spent heaps of time at the library, lost in fiction, or playing dress-up games and Girl Fight on Gamebrew, which definitely fueled my imagination.
In terms of braiding, I grew up watching my mother braid my sister’s hair, and I’d observe the rhythm and technique. Over time, I just picked it up naturally. It wasn’t just about the braids; it felt like witnessing a quiet ritual, an art woven into everyday life.
2) Has creativity always been a part of your life?
Yes, definitely. I used to ask my family to braid random bits of string in different colors into my hair when I was younger. It was my first playful way of exploring texture, color, and form. As I grew, that curiosity expanded. I dabbled in photography and design technology in high school, which carried through to university, where I earned a BA. Even when I wasn’t consciously thinking of it as “art,” creativity was always there, woven into how I expressed myself and engaged with the world around me.
3) Please share your artistic journey.
After uni, I actually stepped away from the creative world for a while and ended up in a government job. It was a very different pace, structured, routine, and not creatively fulfilling. But over time, I felt this pull back to art, like something dormant was waking up. I started reconnecting with my creative side through hair art and collaborations.
Hair became more than just a medium; it was a way to explore identity, ancestry, and community. Through braiding and sculptural forms, I found myself weaving together personal stories with cultural narratives, especially within the Black diaspora. My work now blends sculpture, photography, and community engagement, grounded in Yoruba and Igbo traditions, shaped by the experiences of migration and belonging.
4) Was there a moment when you knew art was a passion you wanted to pursue? Tell me about it.
Yes, it wasn’t just one moment, but a collection of experiences that keep affirming this path. The persistent dreams I get feel like messages from beyond, nudging me towards creation. Then there are the words of affirmation from people who’ve experienced my work, grounding me in the here and now. But what really sticks with me is the lightness that enters people’s faces once I’m done with their hair—it’s like something unspoken shifts, a quiet transformation. So, both the spoken and unspoken, the literal and the spiritual, have definitely validated that art isn’t just something I do; it’s who I am.
You can catch Mary Dah Fairy’s work irl at 4:30pm on 14 February 2025, 172 Trafalgar Onehunga. Check out their work here and be sure to follow their journey.
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