Never-before-seen artworks by Rotimi Fani-Kayode go on display in Shoreditch

Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Untitled, 1988. Photograph: courtesy Autograph. Copyright: Rotimi Fani-Kayode.

A new photography exhibition in Shoreditch features never-before-seen works by the late Rotimi Fani-Kayode.

From 1983 until his death in 1989, Fani-Kayode lived and worked in Brixton, where he created a studio that became a sanctuary of Black queer self-expression.

The space enabled the artist, a prominent figure in the Black British art scene, to live and be free in London.

Now, following meticulous research into Fani-Kayode’s archives, Autograph gallery in Shoreditch is presenting an exhibition of his work.

The Studio – Staging Desire‘s carefully staged and crafted portraits emphasise gesture, pose and a sense of longing.

Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Untitled, 1988. Photograph: courtesy Autograph. Copyright: Rotimi Fani-Kayode.

The photographs also explore what it meant for Fani-Kayode to negotiate his status as an ‘outsider’.

Professor Mark Sealy, director of Autograph, said: “Rotimi Fani-Kayode was one of the most important artists using photography in Britain during the 1980s, uniquely working at the intersections of race, sexuality and West African cultures.

“He was an activist and visionary, exemplified through his involvement with the Brixton Art Gallery and as a founding signatory at Autograph.

“Fani-Kayode’s work has had a profound influence on photography, representation and radical thought.

“The new exhibitions at Autograph in London and The Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio pay tribute to his groundbreaking practice and politics.”

Rotimi Fani-Kayode: The Studio – Staging Desire runs until 22 March 2025 at Autograph, 1 Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA.

For more information, visit autograph.org.uk.