Tate Photography: Ajamu X

"Self-portraiture then is a way to interrogate not just who I am in terms of my identity and sexuality, but, more importantly, who I can fantasise myself to be. " Ajamu X, born in Huddersfield in 1963, is a British photographic artist, curator, archivist and activist. He is best known for his fine art photography which explores same-sex desire, the erotic and sensory, and the Black queer body. As a leading specialist in Black British LGBTQ history, heritage and memory, his work as an archivist and activist documents the lives and experiences of Black LGBTQ people in the United Kingdom. His work is held in many private and public collections, including Tate, the Rose Art Museum, Autograph, Arts Council of England, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. "I think photography privileges the visual, but in the darkroom the other senses kick in: the sonic, the tactility, the smell is important too. "