African Mapplethorpe

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the negligent association commonly adopted by colonial lenses between the Nigerian photographer Rotimi Fani-Kayode and the North American Robert Mapplethorpe. Based on a semiotic analysis, the work operates on the distinction between both photographers in order to dissolve the misconception of an unreasonable association, while demarcating the singularity of Rotimi Fani-Kayode's visual work and his aesthetic proposal combined with a Yoruban cosmoportion. Inviting authors such as Stuart Hall, Cristina Sharpe and among others, the article elaborates a countercolonial visual discussion where the Representation of black and gay men is constructed from a non-Western perspective.