Michael Stevenson - Rotimi Fani-Kayodé

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Rotimi Fani-Kayodé
Fani-Kayodé (1955-1989) is one of the most important and influential black photographers of the 20th century. Michael Stevenson presents his work in association with Autograph ABP, the association of black photographers established in London in 1987 of which Fani-Kayodé was a founder member.

LATEST EXHIBITION

Black and white photographs on the group exhibition Disguise (15 May - 5 July 2008)

EXHIBITIONS

Bodies of Experience (4 June - 7 July 2006)
Black and White Photographs (29 March - 29 April 2006)

BIOGRAPHY
Rotimi Fani-Kayodé (1955 - 1989) was born in Nigeria to a prominent Yoruba family. He received his formal education in the USA before settling in the UK in 1983, where he lived and worked until his early death at the age of 34 on December 21, 1989.

Fani-Kayodé was at the forefront of destabilising the stereotypical view of Africa and 'Africanness'. Referencing the Yoruba technique of ecstasy where reality is distorted to create altered states of consciousness, he creates environments in which to investigate issues relating to race, sexuality and desire. These narratives, created in the studio using props and models, invert, subvert and appropriate the canons of Western art.

First chair and founding member of Autograph ABP, London, Fani-Kayodé's images have been exhibited internationally, most recently at Michael Stevenson Gallery (2007) and Galerie Jean-Marc Patras, Paris (2006). Past exhibitions include B&J Gallery in Lagos, (1985); Fotofest, Houston, Texas (1992); Ecstatic Antibodies, Battersea Art Centre, London (1990); The Other Story, Kunst Halle, Krems< Austria (1996) and the 50th Venice Biennale (2003)

For more information on the artist visit the Autograph ABP website www.autograph-abp.co.uk.