Future Histories: Celebrating the Scottish Diaspora

30th September - 31st October 2023

Hillhead Library

A welcome return of ‘Future Histories: Celebrating the Scottish Diaspora’ by Ajamu. Originally shown as part of the launch of Black History Month in 2012 at Street Level Photoworks, the work was subsequently housed in the African Caribbean Centre in Glasgow. The portraits consist of African, Caribbean and people of Black Scottish descent living and working in Scotland.  The portraits form part of his ongoing artistic and theoretical engagement with photography, cultural heritage, diversity and representation.

At the time, ‘Future Histories’ was the first comprehensive series of portraits of Black individuals within the arts and culture, public life, community activism, business, music and entertainment. The project sought to highlight the diversity of work and individuals, often invisible not only within a Scottish context but also within a UK-wide context.

Ajamu has been involved with Black and Minority Ethnic and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) Communities for over 20 years working nationally and internationally as a fine art photographer, with a key area being studio-based constructed imagery, predominately challenging dominant ideas on black masculinity, gender, sexuality and representation. His work also explores issues of diversity, community and difference within a wide range of cultural and social spaces including galleries, museums, archives, and health and social care settings.

Ajamu [Hon FRPS] is a fine art studio based / darkroom-led photographic artist and scholar. His work has been shown in Museums, galleries and alternative spaces worldwide. In 2022, Ajamu was canonised by The Trans Pennine Travelling Sisters as the Patron Saint of Darkrooms and received an honorary fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society. His exhibition ‘Ajamu: Patron Saint of Darkrooms’ was shown recently at Autograph ABP in London. His work appears in private and public collections worldwide.