To celebrate the recent publication of the book AJAMU : ARCHIVE, Autograph has released a new limited edition print by the celebrated artist, part of our Autograph Editions series.

This artist-signed, numbered & stamped 10" x 8” silver gelatin fibre print is presented in an archival black print box, and comes protected inside an acid-free sleeve.

Ajamu’s playful black and white image constitutes a detail from the photograph Seyon Amosu, Muse (2020) which featured on the cover of the January/February 2021 issue of contemporary art and culture magazine Frieze (no 216) with the headline ‘Ajamu: Darkroom Pleasures’. The pioneering visual activist, who specialises in Black and LGBTQ + portraits, fine art nudes and private commissions, has been at the forefront of genderqueer photography since the early 1990s, notably with his Black Bodyscapes series which foregrounds homoeroticism, fetishism, difference, and desire in a collection of striking studio compositions.

An updated version of the artist’s iconic 1993 portrait Heels, Ajamu describes his new work – partly inspired by Geoff Nicholson’s novel Footsucker (1996) – as a “homage to this book and my love of feet and heels”. He says, “The feet and heels belong to my muse Seyon Amosu, and it is based on my own desires for feminine black men in heels. Aside from representing a phallic symbol, the drill bit references the top of a unicorn’s head… The image, and my work in general, is both playful yet serious, and as usual with my photographic practice, theoretical provocations, visual politics, and aesthetics I always unapologetically celebrate black queer bodies, the erotic, sex, and pleasure as resistance to the constant framing of our complex and nuanced lived experiences within a deficit paradigm.”

About the artist

Ajamu is a socially engaged fine art photographic artist producing Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer imagery in the UK. His work has been included in more than 20 solo exhibitions and 30 group shows in museums, galleries and alternative spaces across Europe, North America, the Caribbean, South Africa and the UK between 1990 and the present. His creative practice is driven by a desire to show Black queer lives as they truly are: with passion, with intimacy, with sex, with desire, with love and with community.

Recent group exhibitions include: Kiss My Genders (Hayward Gallery, 2019), Get Up Stand Up (Somerset House 2019), On our Backs: The Revolutionary Art of Queer Sex Work (Leslie Lohman Museum, 2019). Ajamu is also engaged in academia, bringing a more nuanced conversation about visibility, social and cultural exclusion within a socially engaged fine art practice.

Autograph Editions

For more than 30 years, Autograph has championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice. We are a registered charity, and proceeds from sales of Autograph’s editions help raise funds to support our arts and learning programmes. Ajamu has generously donated this print to our Editions series to support Autograph’s work. 

Autograph Editions are produced with utmost care and a commitment to excellence, difference, and visual politics – reflecting the diversity of practice among the constituency of artists we work with.

We are proud to be working with professional photography printers Metro Imagining to produce these beautiful limited fundraising edition prints, and grateful for their ongoing support.

Ajamu X, Power Drill Heels, 2021
Edition of 30 (+5 AP and 2 PP)
Signed by Ajamu X (verso)
Numbered, and certified with stamp (verso)
Approximately 25.5 x 20.5cm / 10 x 8 inches (paper size), 17.8 x 17.6cm / 7 x 7 inches (image size)
Fibre silver gelatin print
Unframed

The artist’s signature on each print is unique and may appear slightly different than shown here; the images on this page are for illustrative purposes only.

Due to the organic nature of fibre based paper the art work may not appear fully flattened; this is considered normal with this type of print and does not constitute a fault as such.

Autograph is a charity run by a small team. Due to social distancing, our staff are still working remotely at times. This means it may take longer than usual for you to receive your order. Books and merchandise are shipped once a week. You will be sent an email when your order has shipped, and also if it is delayed. Thank you for your patience and for supporting Autograph.

Collection of orders at Autograph’s gallery are available the Thursday after you place your order. You will receive an email when your order is ready for collection. We’re happy to help if you have any questions, get in touch at info@autograph-abp.co.uk

European delivery

Unfortunately, we are temporarily unable to accept orders through our online shop for delivery to the EU. If you are located in the EU and wish to purchase this item, please contact us at info@autograph-abp.co.uk.

International delivery

If your delivery address is not within the United Kingdom, you may be subject to import duties, taxes and delivery service charges, which are levied once a shipment reaches your country. Any such additional charges for customs clearance must be borne by you. You should note that customs policies vary widely from country to country; you should contact your local customs office for further information. Please be aware that cross-border shipments are subject to opening and inspection by customs authorities. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, your order may take longer than usual to arrive.

Please note that this sale is for the physical limited edition print only. Copyright is retained by the artist, and this sale does not include reproduction or digital rights for the work.

If resold in the future, the artist may be entitled to the Artist's Resale Right, for more information visit DACS.

Limited Edition prints are released in tiers, and prices may increase as an edition starts to sell out. Prices are subject to change and availability.