Rotimi Fani-Kayode
Nigerian, 1955–1989
Introduction
Rotimi Fani-Kayode (20 April 1955 – 21 December 1989), born Oluwarotimi Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode, was a Nigerian photographer who at the age of 11 moved with his family to England, fleeing from the Biafran War. A seminal figure in British contemporary art, Fani-Kayode explored the tensions created by sexuality, race and culture through stylised portraits and compositions. He created the bulk of his work between 1982 and 1989, the year he died from AIDS-related complications.
Wikidata identifier
Q2168805
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License . Accessed January 2, 2026.
Introduction
A pioneering figure in Black British art whose images explored race, queerness, desire and spirituality based on his Yoruba culture, and his displacement from his homeland, Nigeria. Fleeing political unrest, his family fled to the United Kingdom, and settled in Brighton. He moved to the United States in 1976 and graduated from Georgetown University in 1980 with a degree in economics and fine art. He then earned an M.A. at Pratt Institute in New York and trained under Robert Mapplethorpe during his time in the city. He returned to England in 1983 and established a home studio in Brixton, South London. He died of AIDS-related complications on Dec. 21, 1989, in a hospital in North London. He was 34.
Country of birth
Nigeria
Roles
Artist, photographer
ULAN identifier
500202670
Names
Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Oluwarotimi Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode, Rotimi Fani- Kayode
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed January 2, 2026.
