Rotimi Fani-Kayode - Revision history

Merlin: /* Career */

2026-07-14T08:22:53Z

Career

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	He started in 1984 to exhibit and was part of eight other exhibitions by the time of his death in 1989. His work has been featured posthumously in many exhibitions and retrospectives.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> His work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Italy, Nigeria, Sweden, Germany, South Africa and US.		He started in 1984 to exhibit and was part of eight other exhibitions by the time of his death in 1989. His work has been featured posthumously in many exhibitions and retrospectives.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> His work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Italy, Nigeria, Sweden, Germany, South Africa and US.

	In 1987 along with Mark Sealy, he co-founded the Association of Black Photographers (now Autograph ABP) and became their first chair. He was also an active member of the [[Black Audio Film Collective]].<ref name="ReferenceB">''GLBTQ: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Culture''.</ref> He was a major influence on young black photographers in the late 1980s and 1990s. Following Hirst's death in 1992, some controversy has persisted about works attributed to Fani-Kayode.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>		In 1987 along with Mark Sealy, he co-founded the Association of Black Photographers (now Autograph ABP) and became their first chair. He was also an active member of the [[Black Audio Film Collective]].<ref name="ReferenceB">''GLBTQ: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Culture''.</ref> He was a major influence on young black photographers in the late 1980s and 1990s, including Ajamu, and Robert Taylor. Following Hirst's death in 1992, some controversy has persisted about works attributed to Fani-Kayode.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>

	:"My identity has been constructed from my own sense of otherness, whether cultural, racial or sexual. The three aspects are not separate within me. Photography is the tool by which I feel most confident in expressing myself. It is photography therefore — Black, African, homosexual photography — which I must use not just as an instrument, but as a weapon if I am to resist attacks on my integrity and, indeed, my existence on my own terms."<ref>"Traces of Ecstasy", ''Ten-8'', no. 28, 1988.</ref>		:"My identity has been constructed from my own sense of otherness, whether cultural, racial or sexual. The three aspects are not separate within me. Photography is the tool by which I feel most confident in expressing myself. It is photography therefore — Black, African, homosexual photography — which I must use not just as an instrument, but as a weapon if I am to resist attacks on my integrity and, indeed, my existence on my own terms."<ref>"Traces of Ecstasy", ''Ten-8'', no. 28, 1988.</ref>

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	Based on a Wikipedia article.		Based on a Wikipedia article.

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	[[Category:Photographers]]		[[Category:Photographers]]

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	[[File:~~Wikirotimi~~.jpg\|thumb\|Rotimi Fani-Kayode]]'''Oluwarotimi (Rotimi) Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode''' (20 April 1955 - 21 December 1989)<ref>[http://www.autograph-abp-shop.co.uk/files/Newspapers/NO9.Dec89-Jan90.pdf "Rotimi Fani-Kayode (In Memoriam)",] ''Autograph'' Newsletter, No. 9, December 1989/January 1990.</ref> was a Nigerian-born photographer, who moved to [[England]] at the age of 12 to escape the Nigerian Civil War. The main body of his work was created between 1982 and 1989. He explored the tensions created by sexuality, race and culture through stylised portraits and composition.		[[File:Rotimi Fani-Kayode.jpg\|thumb\|Rotimi Fani-Kayode]]'''Oluwarotimi (Rotimi) Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode''' (20 April 1955 - 21 December 1989)<ref>[http://www.autograph-abp-shop.co.uk/files/Newspapers/NO9.Dec89-Jan90.pdf "Rotimi Fani-Kayode (In Memoriam)",] ''Autograph'' Newsletter, No. 9, December 1989/January 1990.</ref> was a Nigerian-born photographer, who moved to [[England]] at the age of 12 to escape the Nigerian Civil War. The main body of his work was created between 1982 and 1989. He explored the tensions created by sexuality, race and culture through stylised portraits and composition.
	==Biography==		==Biography==
	Rotimi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in April 1955, as the second child of a prominent Yoruba family that moved to [[Brighton]], in 1966, after the military coup and the ensuing civil war. Rotimi went to a number of British private schools for his secondary education, including [[Brighton College]], Seabright College and [[Millfield]], then moved to the USA in 1976. He read Fine Arts and Economics at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, for his BA, continued on for his MFA in Fine Arts & Photography at the Pratt Institute, New York. While in New York, he became friendly with Robert Mapplethorpe, who he has claimed as an influence on his work.		Rotimi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in April 1955, as the second child of a prominent Yoruba family that moved to [[Brighton]], in 1966, after the military coup and the ensuing civil war. Rotimi went to a number of British private schools for his secondary education, including [[Brighton College]], Seabright College and [[Millfield]], then moved to the USA in 1976. He read Fine Arts and Economics at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, for his BA, continued on for his MFA in Fine Arts & Photography at the Pratt Institute, New York. While in New York, he became friendly with Robert Mapplethorpe, who he has claimed as an influence on his work.

Ross Burgess at 10:21, 3 May 2016

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	Fani-Kayode returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack while recovering from an [[AIDS]]-related illness on 21 December 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in [[Brixton]], London, with his life partner and collaborator [[Alex Hirst]].		Fani-Kayode returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack while recovering from an [[AIDS]]-related illness on 21 December 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in [[Brixton]], London, with his life partner and collaborator [[Alex Hirst]].

	:"Rotimi was my friend, my lover but also my collaborator—unusual, especially for a a black man and a white man."<ref>Alex Hist, ''The Last Supper: A Creative Farewell to Rotimi Fani-Kayode'' (Wolverhampton: Light House Media Centre, 1992) page 6, quoted in ''Hidden Histories]]'', page 98</ref>		:"Rotimi was my friend, my lover but also my collaborator—unusual, especially for a a black man and a white man."<ref>Alex Hist, ''The Last Supper: A Creative Farewell to Rotimi Fani-Kayode'' (Wolverhampton: Light House Media Centre, 1992) page 6, quoted in ''[[Hidden Histories]]'', page 98</ref>

	==Career==		==Career==

Ross Burgess: /* Biography */

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Biography

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	Fani-Kayode returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack while recovering from an [[AIDS]]-related illness on 21 December 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in [[Brixton]], London, with his life partner and collaborator [[Alex Hirst]].		Fani-Kayode returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack while recovering from an [[AIDS]]-related illness on 21 December 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in [[Brixton]], London, with his life partner and collaborator [[Alex Hirst]].

	:"Rotimi was my friend, my lover but also my collaborator—unusual, especially for a white man."<ref>Alex Hist, ''The Last Supper: A Creative Farewell to Rotimi Fani-Kayode'' (Wolverhampton: Light House Media Centre, 1992) page 6, quoted in ''Hidden Histories]]'', page 98</ref>		:"Rotimi was my friend, my lover but also my collaborator—unusual, especially for a a black man and a white man."<ref>Alex Hist, ''The Last Supper: A Creative Farewell to Rotimi Fani-Kayode'' (Wolverhampton: Light House Media Centre, 1992) page 6, quoted in ''Hidden Histories]]'', page 98</ref>

	==Career==		==Career==

Ross Burgess: /* Biography */

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Biography

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	Fani-Kayode returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack while recovering from an [[AIDS]]-related illness on 21 December 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in [[Brixton]], London, with his life partner and collaborator [[Alex Hirst]].		Fani-Kayode returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack while recovering from an [[AIDS]]-related illness on 21 December 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in [[Brixton]], London, with his life partner and collaborator [[Alex Hirst]].

			:"Rotimi was my friend, my lover but also my collaborator—unusual, especially for a white man."<ref>Alex Hist, ''The Last Supper: A Creative Farewell to Rotimi Fani-Kayode'' (Wolverhampton: Light House Media Centre, 1992) page 6, quoted in ''Hidden Histories]]'', page 98</ref>

	==Career==		==Career==

Ross Burgess: /* Career */

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Career

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	He started in 1984 to exhibit and was part of eight other exhibitions by the time of his death in 1989. His work has been featured posthumously in many exhibitions and retrospectives.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> His work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Italy, Nigeria, Sweden, Germany, South Africa and US.		He started in 1984 to exhibit and was part of eight other exhibitions by the time of his death in 1989. His work has been featured posthumously in many exhibitions and retrospectives.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> His work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Italy, Nigeria, Sweden, Germany, South Africa and US.

	In 1987 along with Mark Sealy, he co-founded [[Autograph ABP]] and became their first chair. He was also an active member of the [[Black Audio Film Collective]].<ref name="ReferenceB">''GLBTQ: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Culture''.</ref> He was a major influence on young black photographers in the late 1980s and 1990s. Following Hirst's death in 1992, some controversy has persisted about works attributed to Fani-Kayode.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>		In 1987 along with Mark Sealy, he co-founded the Association of Black Photographers (now Autograph ABP) and became their first chair. He was also an active member of the [[Black Audio Film Collective]].<ref name="ReferenceB">''GLBTQ: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Culture''.</ref> He was a major influence on young black photographers in the late 1980s and 1990s. Following Hirst's death in 1992, some controversy has persisted about works attributed to Fani-Kayode.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>

	:"My identity has been constructed from my own sense of otherness, whether cultural, racial or sexual. The three aspects are not separate within me. Photography is the tool by which I feel most confident in expressing myself. It is photography therefore — Black, African, homosexual photography — which I must use not just as an instrument, but as a weapon if I am to resist attacks on my integrity and, indeed, my existence on my own terms."<ref>"Traces of Ecstasy", ''Ten-8'', no. 28, 1988.</ref>		:"My identity has been constructed from my own sense of otherness, whether cultural, racial or sexual. The three aspects are not separate within me. Photography is the tool by which I feel most confident in expressing myself. It is photography therefore — Black, African, homosexual photography — which I must use not just as an instrument, but as a weapon if I am to resist attacks on my integrity and, indeed, my existence on my own terms."<ref>"Traces of Ecstasy", ''Ten-8'', no. 28, 1988.</ref>

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References

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	==References==		==References==

			Based on a Wikipedia article.

	<references>		<references>

Ross Burgess: /* Biography */

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Biography

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	[[File:Wikirotimi.jpg\|thumb\|Rotimi Fani-Kayode]]'''Oluwarotimi (Rotimi) Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode''' (20 April 1955 - 21 December 1989)<ref>[http://www.autograph-abp-shop.co.uk/files/Newspapers/NO9.Dec89-Jan90.pdf "Rotimi Fani-Kayode (In Memoriam)",] ''Autograph'' Newsletter, No. 9, December 1989/January 1990.</ref> was a Nigerian-born photographer, who moved to [[England]] at the age of 12 to escape the Nigerian Civil War. The main body of his work was created between 1982 and 1989. He explored the tensions created by sexuality, race and culture through stylised portraits and composition.		[[File:Wikirotimi.jpg\|thumb\|Rotimi Fani-Kayode]]'''Oluwarotimi (Rotimi) Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode''' (20 April 1955 - 21 December 1989)<ref>[http://www.autograph-abp-shop.co.uk/files/Newspapers/NO9.Dec89-Jan90.pdf "Rotimi Fani-Kayode (In Memoriam)",] ''Autograph'' Newsletter, No. 9, December 1989/January 1990.</ref> was a Nigerian-born photographer, who moved to [[England]] at the age of 12 to escape the Nigerian Civil War. The main body of his work was created between 1982 and 1989. He explored the tensions created by sexuality, race and culture through stylised portraits and composition.
	==Biography==		==Biography==
	Rotimi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in April 1955, as the second child of a prominent Yoruba family that moved to [[Brighton]], in 1966, after the military coup and the ensuing civil war. Rotimi went to a number of British private schools for his secondary education, including [[Brighton College]], Seabright College and [[Millfield]], then moved to the USA in 1976. He read Fine Arts and Economics at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, for his BA, continued on for his MFA in Fine Arts & Photography at the Pratt Institute, New York. While in New York, he became friendly with Robert Mapplethorpe, who he has claimed as an influence on his work.~~<ref>Conversation with the author 1988</ref>~~		Rotimi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in April 1955, as the second child of a prominent Yoruba family that moved to [[Brighton]], in 1966, after the military coup and the ensuing civil war. Rotimi went to a number of British private schools for his secondary education, including [[Brighton College]], Seabright College and [[Millfield]], then moved to the USA in 1976. He read Fine Arts and Economics at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, for his BA, continued on for his MFA in Fine Arts & Photography at the Pratt Institute, New York. While in New York, he became friendly with Robert Mapplethorpe, who he has claimed as an influence on his work.

	Fani-Kayode returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack while recovering from an [[AIDS]]-related illness on 21 December 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in [[Brixton]], London, with his life partner and collaborator [[Alex Hirst]].		Fani-Kayode returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack while recovering from an [[AIDS]]-related illness on 21 December 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in [[Brixton]], London, with his life partner and collaborator [[Alex Hirst]].

Ross Burgess: Created page with "Rotimi Fani-Kayode'''Oluwarotimi (Rotimi) Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode''' (20 April 1955 - 21 December 1989)[http://www.autograph-abp-shop.co.u..."

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Created page with "thumb|Rotimi Fani-Kayode'''Oluwarotimi (Rotimi) Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode''' (20 April 1955 - 21 December 1989)<ref>[http://www.autograph-abp-shop.co.u..."

New page

[[File:Wikirotimi.jpg|thumb|Rotimi Fani-Kayode]]'''Oluwarotimi (Rotimi) Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode''' (20 April 1955 - 21 December 1989)<ref>[http://www.autograph-abp-shop.co.uk/files/Newspapers/NO9.Dec89-Jan90.pdf "Rotimi Fani-Kayode (In Memoriam)",] ''Autograph'' Newsletter, No. 9, December 1989/January 1990.</ref> was a Nigerian-born photographer, who moved to [[England]] at the age of 12 to escape the Nigerian Civil War. The main body of his work was created between 1982 and 1989. He explored the tensions created by sexuality, race and culture through stylised portraits and composition.
==Biography==
Rotimi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in April 1955, as the second child of a prominent Yoruba family that moved to [[Brighton]], in 1966, after the military coup and the ensuing civil war. Rotimi went to a number of British private schools for his secondary education, including [[Brighton College]], Seabright College and [[Millfield]], then moved to the USA in 1976. He read Fine Arts and Economics at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, for his BA, continued on for his MFA in Fine Arts & Photography at the Pratt Institute, New York. While in New York, he became friendly with Robert Mapplethorpe, who he has claimed as an influence on his work.<ref>Conversation with the author 1988</ref>

Fani-Kayode returned to the UK in 1983. He died in a London hospital of a heart attack while recovering from an [[AIDS]]-related illness on 21 December 1989. At the time of his death, he was living in [[Brixton]], London, with his life partner and collaborator [[Alex Hirst]].

==Career==
Fani-Kayode admitted to being influenced by Mapplethorpe's earlier work but he also pushed the bounds of his own art, exploring sexuality, racism, colonialism and the tensions and conflicts between his homosexuality and his Yoruba upbringing through a series of images in both colour and black and white.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photographers''.</ref> His work is imbued with the subtlety, irony and political and social comment. He also contributed to the artistic debate surrounding [[HIV]].<ref>Jean Marc Patras/ Galerie.</ref>

He started in 1984 to exhibit and was part of eight other exhibitions by the time of his death in 1989. His work has been featured posthumously in many exhibitions and retrospectives.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> His work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Italy, Nigeria, Sweden, Germany, South Africa and US.

In 1987 along with Mark Sealy, he co-founded [[Autograph ABP]] and became their first chair. He was also an active member of the [[Black Audio Film Collective]].<ref name="ReferenceB">''GLBTQ: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Culture''.</ref> He was a major influence on young black photographers in the late 1980s and 1990s. Following Hirst's death in 1992, some controversy has persisted about works attributed to Fani-Kayode.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>

:"My identity has been constructed from my own sense of otherness, whether cultural, racial or sexual. The three aspects are not separate within me. Photography is the tool by which I feel most confident in expressing myself. It is photography therefore — Black, African, homosexual photography — which I must use not just as an instrument, but as a weapon if I am to resist attacks on my integrity and, indeed, my existence on my own terms."<ref>"Traces of Ecstasy", ''Ten-8'', no. 28, 1988.</ref>

==Publications==
*''Communion'', London: Autograph, 1986.
*''Black Male/White Male'', photographs by Rotimi Fani-Kayode, text by Alex Hirst, London: [[Gay Men's Press]], 1994.
*"Traces of Ecstasy", ''Ten-8'', no. 28, 1988.
*''Photographs'', London: Autograph ABP, 1996. Rotimi Fani-Kayode and Alex Hirst.<ref>http://www.revuenoire.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=117:2-909571-17-3&catid=13:Grand%20Livre&Itemid=4&lang=en Extract. ''Revue Noire''.</ref>

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Photographers]]
[[Category:Black and minority ethnic]]
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]