The Polygon Gallery: Tranquility of Communion

Feb. 28–May 25, 2025

The Polygon Gallery presents Tranquility of Communion, a landmark exhibition of the late British-Nigerian photographer Rotimi Fani-Kayode’s work, running from Feb. 28 to May 25, 2025. This Canadian premiere brings together Fani-Kayode’s celebrated photographs alongside archival prints and previously unseen works from his student years. Fani-Kayode’s images treat same-sex, multiracial love with a spiritual intensity, employing symbolic language to explore themes of identity, sexuality, and race. 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 made him a prominent figure in 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.

Admission to The Polygon Gallery is by donation, courtesy of BMO Financial Group.