Rotimi Fani-Kayode (1955 – 1989)

Firehouse Plaza Art Gallery at Nassau Community College

Jan. 17, 2024 - Mar. 11, 2017

1 Education Drive
Garden City, 11542

www.ncc.edu/firehousegallery

Rotimi Fani-Kayode (1955 – 1989)
Tuesday, January 17th – Saturday, March 11th

…It is photography, therefore – Black, African, homosexual photography – which I must not just use as an instrument, but as a weapon if I am to resist attacks on my integrity and, indeed, my existence on my own terms. – Rotimi Fani-Kayode, 1988

Nassau Community College and the Firehouse Plaza Art Gallery are proud to present Rotimi Fani-Kayode (1955 – 1989), made possible through the Exhibition traveling services of SU Art Galleries at Syracuse University. The exhibition features a selection of Fani-Kayode’s most photographic works produced between 1985 – 1989, including large – scale color works and arresting black and white images. His photographic portraits explore complex personal and politically – engaged notions of desire, spirituality, and cultural dislocation. Fani-Kayode used the medium of photography not only to question issues of sexuality and homoerotic desire, but also to address themes of diaspora and belonging, and the tensions between his homosexuality and his Yoruba upbringing.

A prominent figure in the Black British art scene, Fani-Kayode was the founding member and first chairman of Autograph ABP (Association of Black Photographers) in 1988. His photographs have been exhibited internationally since 1985, with numerous recent solo exhibitions in London, Boston, New York, and Cape Town. Many of his photographs were created in collaboration with his late partner Alex Hirst and are collected in the posthumous 1996 publication Rotimi Fani-Kayode and Alex Hirst: Photographs. His work is represented by Autograph ABP, London.

Organized by Light Work, in partnership with Autograph ABP.
Traveled by the Syracuse University Art Galleries.

The exhibition opens Tuesday, January 17th and runs through Saturday, March 11th. The opening reception is Tuesday, February 7th, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM in the Gallery. All are welcome.

The Gallery is located in CCB Building Room 140.

For more information, visit us at www.ncc.edu/firehousegallery

All images courtesy of Autograph ABP, London.

http://www.ncc.edu/programsandcourses/academic_departments/art/firehouse_plaza_art_gallery/default.shtml

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