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Join us at this symposium examining the social history and legacy of Brixton in the 1980s
Tickets are very limited for this event, book in advance to join us
Autograph
Rivington Place
London EC2A 3BA, UK
These tickets are to attend the talk in person at Autograph's gallery in East London
This event will also be livestreamed, which can be watched from anywhere.
Brixton in the 1980s was shaped by radical action with activist groups, community centres and art spaces confronting disparities in race, gender and wealth. Within this politically charged atmosphere, photographer Rotimi Fani-Kayode’s Railton Road studio transcended into a sanctuary visualising black queer self-expression, offering a powerful lens into the intersections of identity, politics and art.
Autograph’s new exhibition The Studio – Staging Desire features never-before-seen photographs from this era by Fani-Kayode, who was a prominent figure in the Black British art scene and contributing member of the Brixton Artists Collective. To commemorate his radical vision, this symposium will bring together artists, historians, writers and residents who experienced and participated in this creative moment in social history – as well as those inspired by its legacy.
Spaces of Resistance will open with a panel discussion exploring the socio-political climate of 1980s Brixton. Panel one will delve into local social activism involving anti-racism movements, LGBTQ+ rights campaigns and grassroots community organising that sought to challenge institutional inequalities. Following this, we will turn our focus toward the future in a second panel. Panel two will examine the ongoing impact of these movements and explore how they continue to inspire activism and creative practices around identity, community, and representation.
Speakers include Ajamu X, Andrew Hurman, Oumou Longley, Jacob V Joyce, Lucy Davies and Binta Yade – with more to be announced. You’ll also have an opportunity to see photographs Fani-Kayode took at his Brixton studio from 1983 until his death in 1989 in our exhibition The Studio – Staging Desire before and after the talks.
The ticket price for this event is £15. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. If this ticket price is unaffordable for you please get in touch with Harriet at harriet@autograph-abp.co.uk about free ticketing options.
31 Oct 2024 - 22 Mar 2025
Never-before-seen works from the artist Rotimi Fani-Kayode's wider practice, exploring themes of culture, intimacy, desire and pain.
Ajamu (1963, Huddersfield, UK) is a photographic artist, scholar, archive curator and radical sex activist best known for his imagery that challenges dominant ideas around black masculinity, gender, sexuality, and representation of black LGBTQ+ people in the United Kingdom.
He is the co-founder of rukus! Federation and the rukus! Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer + Archive and one of a few leading specialists on Black British LGBTQ+ history, heritage, and cultural memory in the UK. In 1997, Ajamu was the Autograph x Lightwork artist-in-residence in Syracuse, USA developing a series of self-portraits during his residency. He is currently an PhD candidate at Royal College of Art, London. In 2022 Ajamu was canonised by The Trans Pennine Traveling Sisters as The Patron Saint of Darkrooms in his hometown Huddersfield and he received an honorary fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society.
Ajamu’s works have been shown in exhibitions in museums, galleries, and alternative spaces globally since the 1990s.
Andrew Hurman was one of the founding members and directors of the Brixton Artists Collective, the group of artists that set up and ran the Brixton Art Gallery from its opening in June 1983.
Hurman worked on the organisation's administration and co-curated exhibitions including; Rasheed Araeen:Third World Within and Monika Baker: Reflections of the Black Experience.
In 2008 he launched Brixton50 a digital archive relating to Brixton Art Gallery which was followed in 2022 by Black British Artists Archives a more generalised archive relating to the work of Black British artists working in the 1980s - both being based on his personal collection of hard copy ephemera. From 1984-93, he also wrote the weekly art reviews for TNT magazine and in 2023 he self-published Brixton Art Gallery 1983-86: An Illustrated History.
Oumou is a writer, researcher and creative practitioner interested in the messy and fugitive ways that Black life is documented, in both personal and cultural archives.
Oumou’s curiosity in this began on the LSE MSc Gender in 2018, where their research into Black British activist Olive Morris - available in the Feminist Review - began. In 2021 Oumou produced an audio piece about Morris titled ‘Voices of the Archive’ for the ICA and BBC New Creatives Scheme, which premiered on BBC Introducing Arts radio. In 2022, Oumou expanded this work into a 10-day installation in Brixton Market for Lambeth Windrush. They recently shared oral history research on an LSE panel that celebrated ‘Legacies of the Brixton Black Women’s Group’ and seek to reflect on the intimacy and informality of spaces that have preserved Black histories, where institutions have failed to.
Jacob V Joyce’s work ranges from afro-futurist world-building workshops to mural painting, comic books and performance art. Joyce is a non-binary artist amplifying historical and nourishing new queer and decolonial narratives.
Joyce has self-published several zines and illustrated international human rights campaigns for Out Proud African LGBTI, Amnesty International, Global Justice Now and had their comics in national newspapers. TFL Arts Grant awardee and former artist in residence at Gasworks, Serpentine, The Museum of Homelessness, Nottingham Contemporary and Tate Galleries Education department. Find out more: jacobvjoyce.com and via @jacobvjoyce on Instagram. They are currently a doctoral candidate researching the history of Black British arts education at Westminster University.
Lucy Davies is the Director of 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning, Brixton, where she has worked since 1999. Her career has been primarily focused on increasing opportunity and visibility for emerging artists and curators of Colour.
Since becoming Executive Director in 2002 Lucy has been responsible for the strategic development of 198 including the artistic programme, education and community learning programmes and more recently, the capital redevelopment of 198’s premises in Railton Road, for which the organisation won a RIBA award. In a personal capacity Lucy also mentors artists, offering support in areas such as fundraising, project management and curation. She has also mentored other VSO organisations in the Brixton community, leading community development initiatives and developing strategic partnerships.
Binta Yade is a Senegalese-Italian-Australian community organiser, poet and lawyer living in South London. She is the co-founder of the Aada Collective, a Pan-African collective dedicated to reviving and reimagining Pan-African school of thought through afro-centric community engagement and decolonial education.
She is the cultural programmer for The Black State, a community organisation championing radical thought and action among Black youth. Beyond this, she plays an active role in several organisations namely educational charity Thinking Black, Poetic Unity and Black Cultural Archives. Alongside her community work, she is a published poet whose work in the past year has seen her perform internationally. Across all her work, Binta hopes that people feel seen, heard, held and called to critically engage with and strengthen the local and global communities that shape us.
Everyone is welcome at Autograph. Planning a visit? Have a look at our Visit Us page to find out more about getting to the gallery, accessibility and more.
Autograph welcomes people with all types of disabilities.
This event will be seated.
Our building and entrance is step free. A wheelchair accessible lift goes to all floors.
This event will take place in Gallery 1, on the ground floor.
Autograph's events are popular, and often sell out. We recommend booking a ticket in advance. If you need to cancel your ticket for any reason, you can receive a refund up to 1 week before the start of the event. You do not need to bring your paper ticket to the event.
Please note that photography and or filming will take place at this event. Images from this event may be used by Autograph and external press for marketing and promotional use, including: printed and online publicity, social media, press releases, or other use.
Banner image: Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Untitled [detail], 1988. © Rotimi Fani- Kayode. Courtesy of Autograph, London
Part of the Exhibition: Rotimi Fani-Kayode: The Studio – Staging Desire exhibition at Autograph, London. Photograph by Kate Elliott.
Speakers: 1) Ajamu signing prints of Power Drill Heels at Autograph, 2021. 2) Courtesy Andrew Hurman 3) Courtesy Oumou Longley 4) Courtesy Jacob V Joyce 5) Courtesy Lucy Davies 6) Courtesy Binta Yade
7) Autograph, London. Photograph by Kate Elliott.
Autograph is a place to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
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