Rotimi Gay, Philalphia, PA Pennsylvania

Contents:

• IS ROTIMI GAY

IS ROTIMI GAY

Durg his life, gay Nigerian photographer Rotimi Fani-Kayo stggled to fd acceptance. Gag promence the Uned Kgdom and Uned Stat the 1980s, Fani-Kayo tapped to the turbulence of the gay muny – which at the time was facg both the rise of HIV/AIDS and ostracism. Compatrt and gay rights activist Bisi Alimi is no doubt as to what Fani-Kayo left behd.

“His work epomized not jt the realy of beg gay, but of beg a black gay man. In 2014, the photographer received his first major mm retrospective on the ntent, at the Iziko Mm South Ai, the same year the natn’s then-print, Goodluck Jonathan signed to law the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibn) Act, which threatens a 10-year prison sentence on anyone who even wns a gay marriage. 2- Rotimi Fani-KayoHis work epomized not jt the realy of beg gay, but of beg a black gay man.

His homoerotic fluenc g the black male body n be terpreted as an exprsn of ialisatn, of sire and beg sired, and self-nscns rponse to the black body beg rced to a spectacle. Gottschalk’s personal archive was unearthed for an exhibn at The Llie-Lohman Mm of Gay and Lbian Art New York 2019, where many of the poignant imag were shown for the first time. Threats and abe after closg time were mon – but was a space of their 1967, Gottschalk beme volved wh the Gay Liberatn Front, a liberatn anisatn fightg for gay rights.