The Polygon Gallery presents the Canadian premiere of Rotimi Fani-Kayode’s Tranquility of Communion from February 28th to May 25th.
The exhibition is a major survey of the brief but influential career of the late British-Nigerian artist, whose photography explored themes of same-sex, multiracial love with a spiritual reverence drawn from Yoruba cosmology and an uncompromising sense of daring inspired by queer activism.
“Rotimi Fani-Kayode’s photographs have been seen internationally for decades and are represented in major collections around the world, but this is the first time such a comprehensive body of his work will be presented in Canada,” says Dr. Mark Sealy, the exhibition’s curator and Executive Director of Autograph. “Some of these images are 40 years old, yet still feel incredibly contemporary. Fani-Kayode’s work not only reflects a specific period of time and a moment of queer life, it also opens up new possibilities for us to exist in this world. There is much that we can still learn from his prescient vision.”
Born into a prominent Nigerian family that emigrated to London in the 1960s in search of political refuge, Fani-Kayode channeled his multifaceted identity and outsider status into a bold photographic practice that earned him recognition as a prominent figure within the Black British art scene. His work left an enduring influence on contemporary art despite a career that was tragically cut short by his death in 1989, at the age of 34.
The exhibition title, Tranquility of Communion, is drawn from an essay written by the artist for the British photography magazine Ten.8.
Organized by Autograph (London) and Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus), the exhibition brings together his most celebrated photographs along with previously unseen works. The exhibition is presented in four distinct chapters: “Theatre” showcases large-scale colour photographs from his Nothing Left to Lose (Bodies of Experience) series. “Archive” provides a rare glimpse of Fani-Kayode’s experimental explorations of Polaroids, hand-coloured vintage prints, and drawings. “Studio” is a behind-the-scenes look at the artist’s contact sheets. And “Museum” features an extensive collection of his gelatin silver prints. Taken together, Tranquility of Communion celebrates the artist’s prolific and genre-defying legacy.
Rotimi Fani-Kayode’s Tranquility of Communion is presented from February 28-May 25, 2025 at The Polygon Gallery, 101 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver. For more information, visit thepolygon.ca