W. Ian Bourland is Assistant Professor of Global Contemporary Art History at Georgetown University and editor of FAILE: Works on Wood.

"Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals." - E. Baden (Choice) “Bourland’s book is a welcome showcase and exploration of Fani-Kayode’s work, especially in these times of renewed homophobia and racism.” - Rachel Jagareski (Foreword) "Bloodflowers is a rich and detailed study of the photographer Rotimi Fani-Kayode. . . . Bourland’s bookprovides much that will be of interest to students of photography and visual culture. . . ." - Darren Newbury (Journal of British Studies) “The real strength of Bloodflowers resides in Bourland’s descriptive capabilities and the care he gives to a Black artist who has not been granted the scholarly attention he deserves. Known for stunningly beautiful, conceptually rich photographs of Black men, Fani-Kayode created images that are at once steeped in complex symbolism while also semiotically porous in their surrealism: a contradiction that Bourland unpacks with great critical sophistication.” - Derek Conrad Murray (Art Bulletin) “The brilliance of Bourland’s book is in the range of its learnedness. Its promise, though, lies in its wide applicability. The book should be read not simply for its bearing on Fani-Kayode. It should be engaged as a model for a deeply interdisclipinary and historically attuned art history and criticism.” - Roderick A. Ferguson (Nka)

• Acknowledgments  viiIntroduction. Nothing to Lose  1Exposure 1. Brixton  23Exposure 2. Rage and Desire  58Exposure 3. Magnolia Air  91Exposure 4. The Queen Is Dead  146Exposure 5. Mirror Worlds  171Exposure 6. Night Moves  209Epilogue. Homecoming  250Notes  257Bibliography  291Index  305

W. Ian Bourland is Assistant Professor of Global Contemporary Art History at Georgetown University and editor of FAILE: Works on Wood.

"Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals." - E. Baden (Choice) “Bourland’s book is a welcome showcase and exploration of Fani-Kayode’s work, especially in these times of renewed homophobia and racism.” - Rachel Jagareski (Foreword) "Bloodflowers is a rich and detailed study of the photographer Rotimi Fani-Kayode. . . . Bourland’s bookprovides much that will be of interest to students of photography and visual culture. . . ." - Darren Newbury (Journal of British Studies) “The real strength of Bloodflowers resides in Bourland’s descriptive capabilities and the care he gives to a Black artist who has not been granted the scholarly attention he deserves. Known for stunningly beautiful, conceptually rich photographs of Black men, Fani-Kayode created images that are at once steeped in complex symbolism while also semiotically porous in their surrealism: a contradiction that Bourland unpacks with great critical sophistication.” - Derek Conrad Murray (Art Bulletin) “The brilliance of Bourland’s book is in the range of its learnedness. Its promise, though, lies in its wide applicability. The book should be read not simply for its bearing on Fani-Kayode. It should be engaged as a model for a deeply interdisclipinary and historically attuned art history and criticism.” - Roderick A. Ferguson (Nka)

• Acknowledgments  viiIntroduction. Nothing to Lose  1Exposure 1. Brixton  23Exposure 2. Rage and Desire  58Exposure 3. Magnolia Air  91Exposure 4. The Queen Is Dead  146Exposure 5. Mirror Worlds  171Exposure 6. Night Moves  209Epilogue. Homecoming  250Notes  257Bibliography  291Index  305