Johannesburg-based visual artist, Lebohang Motaung, has turned hair styling and braiding into an art. Motauung says her work seeks to explore ideas around hair and black identity. She is currently on a residency programme with The Project Space, a Johannesburg-based cultural platform that aims to empower young African female artists. CGTN's Yolisa Njamela has the story.

Lebohang Motaung is a 26-year-old hairstylist and artist who has combined her two passions to create portraits that embrace black women's hair. Hairstyling or hair braiding is an art form on its own. Hairstylists use different techniques and different materials to make their art. They constantly have to evolve in order to keep their craft relevant. Motaung grew up drawing and experimenting with her grandmother's hair. Her interest of braiding grew stronger and she used her skill to support her financial needs.

LEBOHANG MOTAUNG ARTIST "I've always seen it as an art form. I know I was doing it for money but it's something I've always done also for creativity. I just felt, I love the patterns and the textures and stuff. I sort of like became obsessed with hair. Even when I look at a person the first thing I would looks at is the hairstyle and stuff like that."

So, Motaung uses her skills as an artist and hairstylist to weave the most extraordinary stories about black women.

YOLISA NJAMELA JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA "Motaung's artwork presents the connection that exits among black women and the relationship they have with their hair."

She tells us that she's mostly influenced by the conversations she used to have with some of the people who's hair she plaited. This, as illustrated in this particular piece.

LEBOHANG MOTAUNG ARTIST "I was thinking about the bond and the connection that comes with the process of hairstyling. That's why I felt the need to have different faces, different heads that all in all make up one artwork because it's like a sisterhood type of thing. Connection of braids from one head to another head sort of represents the connection of thoughts."

Hair is not her only medium. She uses a wide range of mediums from etching to paper making and drawings with hair on paper.

LEBOHANG MOTAUNG ARTIST "I'm also trying to show the significance of the actual material which is hair. I've been doing pencil drawings and charcoal drawings before, but I feel like with these ones where I'm using the actual material, it's very important to associate the material you using with the subject matter and I feel like with the use of synthetic hair and natural hair, it's associated with the subject matter, I think it helps more."

Motaung has another peculiar experience with hair. In high school, she was restricted from wearing her hair freely. Hence she emphasizes that her work is about self-definition and self-expression.

LEBOHANG MOTAUNG ARTIST "I never appreciated that, I never understood why are we not allowed to express ourselves. So that's why, in my work, I usually go for extraordinary hairstyles. I tend to exaggerate. Even if you see this, I feel like as a person you have the right to express yourself the way you want to."

Motaung has exhibited her work in many parts of the country and in other countries. She now itches to have a solo exhibition. She is currently working on three art pieces for the New York Art Fair coming up in May. Yolisa Njamela, CGTN, Johannesburg, South Africa.