Last updated: 26 October 2026
Ajamu, also known as Ajamu X, is the Brixton photographer whose hand-printed black and white portraits celebrate Black queer bodies and desire. Here you will find our take on his work, his recent shows, and the £360 Autograph print we feature.
Our take on Ajamu
Ajamu prints everything himself, in black and white, in the darkroom. “I still get excited by the magic alchemy of being in the darkroom,” he says in Tate’s guide to The 80s: Photographing Britain. “Process is key to my practice.”
He has photographed Black queer life since the 1980s, from his own self-portraits to the FIERCE series of portraits made city by city. He also co-founded the rukus! Black LGBTQ+ Archive in 2005. “Photography, archiving, sex, my studio – it’s all a form of world-making; I’m trying to create a world,” he told frieze in 2020.
The way to own one is his Power Drill Heels print from Autograph, a hand-printed silver gelatin photograph in an edition of 30.
Ajamu: the essentials
- Born in Huddersfield in 1963; works from his portrait studio in Brixton, London, according to Autograph and the Martin Parr Foundation.
- Describes himself as a “photographic artist, scholar, archive curator and radical sex activist”.
- Works in black and white, hand-printed: fibre silver gelatin, platinum and salt prints.
- Co-founded the rukus! Federation and the rukus! Black LGBTQ+ Archive in 2005.
- Made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in 2022, according to Autograph.
- In collections including Tate, Autograph and the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow.
Ajamu exhibitions
- On now: Unruly – The Body in Punk, ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, Denmark, 27 June to 13 December 2026, with four of his photographs lent by Autograph.
- FIERCE: Pittsburgh, solo show, Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, 5 March to 2 May 2026.
- FIERCE: Bristol, solo show, Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol, 3 July to 21 September 2025.
- The 80s: Photographing Britain (group), Tate Britain, London, 21 November 2024 to 5 May 2025.
- Ajamu: The Patron Saint of Darkrooms, solo show, Autograph, London, 28 April to 2 September 2023.
Where to buy an Ajamu print
There is one edition and two publications on sale in the UK:
- Power Drill Heels, 2021, £360: fibre silver gelatin print, 10 x 8 in (25.4 x 20.3 cm) paper, signed and numbered, edition of 30, from Autograph. See our Power Drill Heels page.
- Tate Photography: Ajamu X, £12.99: a 64-page paperback by Hannah Marsh, from the Tate Shop.
- Ajamu: The Patron Saint of Darkrooms newspaper, £12: signed, published by Autograph in 2023, from the Autograph shop.
Ajamu prints and editions on CoolCuration
Ajamu FAQs
Is Ajamu the same as Ajamu X?
Yes. Autograph’s shop uses Ajamu; Tate and most galleries use Ajamu X.
Can I buy an Ajamu print?
Yes. Autograph sells Power Drill Heels (2021), a signed silver gelatin print in an edition of 30, for £360.
Where can I see Ajamu’s work?
Four of his photographs are in Unruly – The Body in Punk at ARoS in Denmark until 13 December 2026. Tate also holds his work.
Is there a book about Ajamu?
Yes. Tate Photography: Ajamu X by Hannah Marsh is £12.99 from the Tate Shop.
More from CoolCuration
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- Best affordable art in the UK: where to start collecting prints and photographs.
- National Art Pass: discounts on big shows across the UK.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: Ajamu X by Mikael Owunna, 2025. Courtesy of the artist, via Silver Eye Center for Photography. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates and prices last checked: 26 October 2026.
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