Photographers - Part 52

Rotimi Fani-Kayode

Rotimi Fani-Kayode (1955-1989), above, was one of the great black photographers of the 20th century.  He was born in Nigeria, where his father was a politician and chief in the Yoruba region.  In 1966, after a military coup, his family fled to England with 11-year-old Rotimi.  He moved to the U.S. in 1976 to go to Georgetown University in Washington DC, then got his MFA in photography from the Pratt Institute in New York City.  While in New York, he met Robert Mapplethorpe, who was an influence on his work.

He returned to England in 1983.  His work explored his sexuality (he was gay), his race, and his African heritage.  His models were almost always black.  Some works were conventional nudes.  Above, Untitled, 1988.

Untitled, 1985, is a striking black nude.

But his work often had a meaning beyond just art.  He felt like an outsider in three ways: because he was gay, because he was black, and because he was from Africa, and all of those things were reflected in his work.

Above, Cargo of Middle Passage, 1989 makes us think about the "middle passage", the route of slave ships from Africa to America.

Much of his work draws on his Yoruba heritage that Americans and Europeans would not understand.  For example, you might think that Sonponnoi, 1987, above, depicts some kind of party game or kinky exhibitionism.  But the title refers to the Yoruba god of diseases such as smallpox.  Knowing that, the spots take on an entirely different meaning.

Bronze Head, 1987, showing a nude man sitting on an African sculpture of a head, depicts two Yoruba concepts, ori and idi.  Metaphorically, ori means destiny and idi means cause, but physically ori means head and idi means ass.  Is the head penetrating the man's ass?  Did the man give birth to the head?  There's a lot going on here.

Technique of Ecstasy, 1987.  Although the two guys are not actually going at it, an American or European would assume the title refers to sexual technique and ecstasy.  But in Yoruban religion, "technique of ecstasy" refers to transcending material reality and attaining a spiritual state.  In many of his photographs, Fani-Kayode was trying to go beyond the plain objects that the photos depicted.  However, since he was gay, I have to wonder whether the title was a sly reference to both the Western and the Yoruban interpretations.

Abiku (Born to Die), 1988.  In Yoruba religion, some children may be born only to immediately die because of an evil god.  This is one of a series of photos suggesting the struggle for survival.  In another photo in this series, the plastic tubing is wrapped around his neck like an umbilical cord wrapped around the neck of an unlucky fetus.

White Bouquet, 1987, gets us back to issues of race and sexuality, with a white man presenting flowers to his black male lover.  In real life, Rotimi Fani-Kayode's partner and lover was white photographer and filmmaker Alex Hirst.  The man on the daybed looks like it might be Fani-Kayode himself, which makes me wonder whether the white man is Hirst.  The image is a double exposure, so the white man looks insubstantial.  Is he real, or is he a dream?

The sexual motif is stronger in Milk Drinker, 1983.  Although not explicitly sexual, it's not hard to imagine what the white liquid going into and spilling out of the naked man's mouth represents.

We end with a late work, The Golden Phallus, 1989.  Alex Hirst wrote: "The Golden Phallus is there to show that we were dealing with issues of stereotypes, black male sexuality, linked to issues of AIDS, but not directly… The Phallus – many people (black and white) have this idea that black men are studs. We wanted to challenge that. The gold makes the dick the center of attention but the string shows the burden is too much to live up to. It’s a very subversive picture."

At the time, Rotimi Fani-Kayode was already battling AIDS.  He died in December, 1989 of a heart attack while recovering from an AIDS-related illness.  He was 34 years old.

Artists - Part 55

John Button

John Button (1929-1982) was an American artist, not to be confused with an English artist of the same name living in Sweden.

Button was known for his cityscapes.  Above, Night Lighting, 1965.  He has been called "probably our greatest painter of urban landscapes since Hopper."  He moved to New York City in the 1950s and became part of the New York School of painters and poets.

But he also produced a large number of sketches and paintings of male nudes.  Button was gay, and at one point he was in a relationship with poet James Schuyler.  Above, an untitled sketch from 1956.

For Jim, 1970.  Button's models were studio models from the School of Visual Arts where he taught, plus personal acquaintances.

Untitled, 1971.

Jupiter and Thetis, 1972.  The title is a reference to an 1811 painting by Ingres of the nymph Thetis kneeling at the feet of the god Jupiter, seated on his throne, begging him to intervene in favor of her son Achilles in the Trojan War.  Button's figures are in the same positions as Jupiter and Thetis in the Ingres painting, but unlike that painting, they are naked and considerably more human.

Hawaii, 1972.

Tony in a Jockstrap, 1972.

Untitled #238, 1970s.

We end with Andrew, 1980.  John Button died of a heart attack in 1982.

Beach Bums - Part 49

Polo Beach, Oahu

Polo Beach is in the northwest part of the island of Oahu, Hawaii.  It's called Polo Beach because it's near the polo fields, but it's also called by its Hawaiian name, Mokuleia.

Approaching the beach, you turn left for the clothed beach and right for the clothing-optional beach.  Nude beaches are not legal in Hawaii, but there are several de facto nude beaches, located in less accessible areas, that are ignored by authorities.  This beach is at the opposite end of the island from Honolulu and Waikiki Beach.

There can be more people here on weekends, but during the week you might have the whole beach to yourself.

These first three photos show model Shawn on Mokuleia Beach, taken by Hawaiian artist and photographer Douglas Simonson, whose work we have seen before.

The beach faces north.  Looking out to sea, there is no land for over 2000 miles until you reach Alaska.

The beach is used by sea turtles that come to bask on the warm sand.  Turtles, called honu in Hawaiian, are protected by the state.  You can look at them, but don't disturb them.

Other creatures also come to bask on the beach.  Here's one ...

and another ...

and another, just looking to get that overall tan.

I think this guy is looking to get a little more.

Past the end of the beach in the distance you can see the Kawailoa wind farm, which produces 69 megawatts of electricity.  Hawaii has not invested heavily in solar and wind energy yet, but it's a start.

We end with a video clip of a guy showing off for us on Polo Beach.

World Naked Gardening Day 2024

World Naked Gardening Day

The first Saturday in May is World Naked Gardening Day.  Today's photos show Grubby Gardeners, an English gardening group, celebrating World Naked Gardening Day in 2017.

Peek-a-boo!  These photos were then used for a 2018 fundraising calendar.

Taking a break.

Look!  Up in the sky!  It's a bird!  It's a plane!

It's Superman!  (Sorry, this isn't from Grubby Gardeners, but I couldn't resist.)

Well, someone has to clean up Superman's mess.

We have gardening gloves.  Why would we need anything else?

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at that photo shoot.  Or is it a look at scenic behinds?

We end with this calendar photo.  My, what a big begonia you have!

Not the Same Old Song - Part 45

Under the Boardwalk

Under the Boardwalk was a hit by the Drifters in 1964.  There are two versions of the lyrics.  In one, they are "making love" under the boardwalk.  Apparently this was too risqué for some in 1964, so in the sanitized version, they are not making love, they are "falling in love".

This is the unsanitized version, accompanied by some unsanitized photos and videos of making love.

The beginning video clip is from an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Calendars - Part 51

Naked Beekeeper

In 2017, George Lodge was a 21-year-old medical student in London and an amateur beekeeper.  He visited Kemba Island off the coast of Tanzania, Africa, where he met Khamis, a local part-time beekeeper who showed him around.  George was fascinated with beekeeping methods in Tanzania.  He wanted to return the favor and show Khamis how it was done in England, but Khamis could not afford the trip.

George jokingly came up with the idea of making a naked beekeeping calendar to raise money for Khamis to visit, and then he thought, why not?  He raised over £2000 in calendar pre-sales and was able to pay for Khamis to come and visit England in 2018.  Then he got to work posing for the naked calendar, which came out for 2019.  Above, George with his calendar and two calendar buyers.

Here are some photos that George posted on Instagram of him posing for the calendar cover photo with a skep on his head.  A skep is a woven straw beehive that was used in the old days before modern hive boxes with removable frames.

George posed naked at Bermondsey Street Bees, above, located on a rooftop in London, where George works part-time tending the beehives.  This became the March photo in the calendar.

I cropped the March photo for a closer view of George and the bees.

He also posed at his family home in Winchester, where he and his mother keep bees.

Although the frontal views are carefully concealed, as in most British naked calendars, you can see quite an impressive bush here.  This became the June photo.

This was the August photo.  Beekeepers use smoke to calm the bees.  Actually, it doesn't calm them, but it interferes with their ability to send chemical alarm signals, so if one bee is alarmed, the whole hive won't get alarmed.  George says smoke stresses the bees, so he uses it as little as possible.  With un-stressed bees, George was not stung once during the naked photo shoots for the calendar.

After the success of the 2019 calendar, George knew people would want another naked beekeeping calendar for 2020.  Here's a page from it.

We close with a short excerpt from a news video about George and his naked calendar, showing George working at the rooftop beehives in London.

Lei Day 2024

Lei Day

May 1st is celebrated as a holiday in many different ways.  In European tradition, it is called May Day, marking the beginning of summer.  May 1st also the related Gaelic or pagan festival Beltane, also marking the beginning of summer.  More recently, May 1st has become International Workers Day, celebrating the labor movement.

But in Hawaii, May 1st is Lei Day, celebrating the lei, or flower necklace, as part of Hawaiian culture.  Above, Lei Day by Hawaiian artist Douglas Simonson.

Another painting by Douglas Simonson, this one called Pink Blossoms.

Leis are traditionally made from flowers.  The one above is made from orchids.

Another flower lei.

But leis do not have to be made of flowers.  Above is a lei for men made out of kukui nuts.

Another kukui nut lei.

And, of course, some leis are made from artificial flowers.  This is Maka, a 20-year-old surfboard instructor.

Derek is wearing a traditional (though artificial) lei around his neck, and a decidedly non-traditional lei in another location.

We end with some extracts from a video of Derek and his leis.