ROTIMI FANI-KAYODE | Artist Research

I think the main thing that attracts me to artists/identity are those who work around being different against the current, an outsider - whether it be their own personal reason or as a part of a minority group, so I think this is why I had a direct interest in Rotimi Fani-Kayode as he was a gay black man in the 80s and this very clearly influenced his work. He said

"On three counts I am an outsider: in matters of sexuality; in terms of geographical and cultural dislocation; and in the sense of not having become the sort of respectably married professional my parents might have hoped for."

 Kayode being this way said his position gave him a "feeling of having little to lose" as having to "hang on to his own creativity through the cries of adolescence and in spite of pressure to conform, it has a liberating effect". I, personally, find this to be true. The struggle of not knowing who you are or ,even knowing who you are, and having other opinions and ingrained ideas can be a drag (to say the least), however when used in the creative process it can be 'liberating'.

Untitled

This is the first image of Kayode's that i saw and was instantly drawn to the tone and colour; the bright red lipstick with the bright red fruit contrasting with the warm greenish tint of the lighting. He also stated he tries to "bring out the spiritual dimension in my pictures so that concepts of reality become ambiguous and are opened to interpretation" and he does this with both visually and with hidden meanings. This photograph shows im biting into, what seems, a 'forbidden fruit' and this, to me, implies him taking risk with how being gay and black and him just accepting himself and making his art was almost forbidden. The eye mask added to this could emphasise how he has no idea how it is going to turn out or what he is going - however he's going for it and this is anchored by his facial expression (even though you cant see all of it, you can).
      Aesthetically, the piece has a warm greenish tint which creates a kind of warm, yet putrid tone - maybe foreshadowing something on coming?

Nothing to Lose VIII (Bodies of
Experience) 

The presence of Kayode's use of African art is shown greatly in this photograph, as well as the one below. I find it cool how he uses props in his pieces to show so much more and include/create his identity in them and these two have more of a golden, victorious tone. The knife glints and his face seems calm and the red berries of the crown stand out; a calm photo that shows him in a state of tranquility as he is surrounded by elements from his culture.
In the pieces he has no clothes on as if to show the camera his raw self in, again, a calm manner, as some of his other photos are more subversive and upfront as they trek along the subject of homoeroticism and nudity.

Adebiyi

This image in particular has a mask which is a prominent reference to his culture and could symbolise and double sided life he may have had balancing between the gay and African communities and facing discrimination in both. Again, like in the previous two images, he uses colours to bring out specific elements in his piece. This one is more open as it is a medium shot, where as the other two are closer, making it less secretive/personal as the other two.
    In my own work I want to have quite closely cropped images, so they're more personal and use props to sign to the audience things I wish to show about myself/identity.

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I love the use of flowers in the photo as unlike the others, they haven't been used as a head piece, but as if to hide behind. In my opinion, this is Kayode experimenting/expressing his sexuality and the construct of hyper-masculinity. This is paired with golden horns, implying that maybe he has had been made feel bad about his identity or demonised. I like his use of one a set up, single coloured background as it really draws the focal point to the subject and for my portrait series I think I will do this to allow better connections to common factors be made.

"I seek to translate my rage and desire into my new images which will undermine conventional perceptions and which may reveal hidden worlds"

                                  

                                      Twins

Half Opened Eyes Twins

These monochrome images have more of a secretive atmosphere. With the brief light shone across his body - it gives the illusion that he is in some secluded and private room. The background is hidden as it is swallowed by darkness, and there are no distractions to take the eye away from his form. This creates a sense of solidarity that he possesses in these shots. Unlike the previous images, he is alone and not backed up by props. This is purely just him. They follow the theme of the unknown and you can see this by how half of the eyes in the images are closed almost as if he wants to look, but at the same time does not want to fully face it.

         

Overall, I love how Kayode uses controlled spaces to create a visual story and message using physical objects to display his sense of self and combat the pre-conditioned ideas in society.

References:

Rotimi Fani-Kayode (1955-1989) published by Tiwani Contemporary 2014

Rotimi Fani-Kayode & Alex Hirst Photographs published by Editions revue Noire & Autograph 1996