New Encounters with Rotimi Fani-Kayode: Book Launch and Talk

Join us for a special evening celebrating the launch of Autograph’s major new publication Rotimi Fani-Kayode: Tranquility of Communion, bringing the life and work of one of the most significant figures in the history of Black photography into fuller view. New research, previously unpublished photographs and never-before-shown drawings from his student years come together in closely observed and tenderly crafted reflections on Fani-Kayode’s practice - one that expanded the terms of Black and queer self-representation. Conceived as a photographic communion, the book considers the continuing force of the artist's work and the ways it redefines what it means to see through an exiled, diasporic and queer lens.  For this special launch event, Autograph’s Director Professor Mark Sealy, curator and co-editor of Tranquility of Communion, will be joined by photographic artist and archival curator Ajamu X, who worked closely with Fani-Kayode and modelled for him in the late 1980s. Writer, editor and critic Evan Moffitt will also broaden the discussion, drawing on his writing and research on the artist - from the neo-baroque sensuality of the photographs and their relationship to Yoruba cosmology to the artist’s challenge to the right-wing politics of 1980s Britain. Completing this exciting line-up is Kobena Mercer, a leading scholar of Black diasporic art and visual culture, whose pioneering writing on Fani-Kayode has been instrumental in shaping the critical understanding of his work. The presentations will be followed by an audience Q&A and social drinks reception, with an opportunity to purchase the publication. Visitors will also be able to explore Autograph’s new exhibitions Our Bodies Have Been Bridges and Charan Singh: Your Tongue in My Mouth.