Rotimi Fani-Kayode
Snap Shot

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Artist Rotimi Fani-Kayode(Nigerian, 1955–1989)Nigerian, 1955–1989

CultureNigerian

Titles

Snap Shot

Date1987, printed 2019

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsAt opening: 9 9/16 × 9 9/16 in. (24.3 × 24.3 cm)

Credit LineGift of Carl Niendorff

Object number2019.171

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

Description“It is photography…which I must use not just as an instrument, but as a weapon if I am to resist attacks on my integrity and, indeed, my existence on my own terms,” Rotimi Fani-Kayode proclaimed. During colonialism, photography was a means to uphold racial divisions and convey ideas of inferiority and “otherness.” Fani-Kayode utilized the medium to confront those injus- tices. In Snap Shot, the careful placement of the camera exploits the desire and voyeurism inherent in many photographs of the black body. Fani-Kayode’s prevention of the viewer’s gaze is a powerful critique of this type of racial fetishism.
ProvenanceEstate of the artist, 2019; [Hales Gallery, London]; purchased by Carl Niendorff, 2019; given to MFAH, 2019.
Exhibition History"Through an African Lens: Sub-Saharan Photography from the Museum's Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 27–November 8, 2020.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Printed in black on applied label, verso of frame backing, lower left: HALES // Rotimi Fani-Kayode // Snap Shot, 1987/2019 // Gelatin silver print // 27.8 x 25.2 // 10 7/8 x 9 7/8 // Edition of 5 plus I PP (#3/5) // (R_FK0045) // London, 7 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA. T +44 (0)20 7033 1938 // New York, 547 West 20th Street, NY 10011. T +1 646 590 0776 // www.halesgallery.com [facebook, twitter and Instagram symbol] @haltesgallery

Printed in black on applied label, verso of frame backing, bottom left: 931 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11238 T: 718-230-5781 F: 230-5782 PRANAYAMA ART INC // Optium Anti-Reflective Museum Acrylic (99% UV)

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