Nothing to Lose XII
Photograph
1989 (made)
1989 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Rotimi Fani-Kayode was a founder member in 1988 of Autograph, the Association of Black Photographers in London. He experimented with colour photography of the black male nude, using symbols derived from his Nigerian Yoruba culture. Homoerotic desire and sexuality was central to his work as can be seen in Black Male / White Male (1988) and Bodies of Experience (1989). His vigorous use of colour and original use of symbolism seem to reflect both Yoruban traditions and the new possibilities of expression and political debate in London in the 1980s.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Additional title | Bodies of Experience (series title) |
Materials and techniques | Dye destruction print |
Brief description | Photograph by Rotimi Fani-Kayode, 'Nothing to Lose XII', Ilfochrome dye-destruction print, Great Britain, 1989 |
Physical description | A colour photograph depicting a black male nude, seated on the floor and leaning backwards, with grapes and a lemon covering his genitals. |
Dimensions |
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Gallery label | Gallery 100, 2016-17:
Rotimi Fani-Kayode (1955–89)
‘Nothing to Lose XII’
From the series ‘Bodies of Experience’
1989
In the 1980s, London artist Rotimi Fani-Kayode experimented with studies of the black male nude. In the images, he brought together motifs derived from his native Nigeria with those from European art. In this warm-hued image, Kayode combines a ritualistic pose with lemons and grapes, classical symbols of love, fertility and virility.
Ilfochrome dye-destruction print
Museum no. E.1084-1996 |
Credit line | Copyright Estate of Rotimi Fani-Kayode, courtesy Autograph ABP |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | Rotimi Fani-Kayode was a founder member in 1988 of Autograph, the Association of Black Photographers in London. He experimented with colour photography of the black male nude, using symbols derived from his Nigerian Yoruba culture. Homoerotic desire and sexuality was central to his work as can be seen in Black Male / White Male (1988) and Bodies of Experience (1989). His vigorous use of colour and original use of symbolism seem to reflect both Yoruban traditions and the new possibilities of expression and political debate in London in the 1980s. |
Bibliographic references |
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Other number | XII - series number |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.1084-1996 |
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Record created | July 24, 2003 |
Record URL |
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