In a space where the barriers between difference and fantasy are dissolved, Rotimi Fani-Kayode’s photographs are a spirited exploration of culture, intimacy, desire and pain. From 1983 until his death in 1989, the artist lived and worked in Brixton, where his studio transcended into a sanctuary visualising Black queer self-expression. The Studio – Staging Desire is the culmination of meticulous research into the artist’s archives and presents never-before-seen works.

Operated by husband-and-wife duo John Abe and Funmilayo Abe in Lagos, Abi Morocco Photos thrived from the 1970s to 2006. Spirit of Lagos focuses on the studio’s formative decade – the 1970s. The studio’s remarkable black-and-white portraits celebrate the rich style and joyous spirit of a generation of Lagosians during a transformative period in Nigeria’s history.

Triangles is a solo exhibition of new work by Gianna Dispenza, who blends sand with coloured mineral powders and other materials such as concrete, volcanic ash and mud in her paintings and sculptural works. Her distinctly female forms are amalgamations of breasts, limbs, orifices and heads – both human and animal – that defy provenance.

Facing a time of rapid scientific as well as technical innovation and social upheaval around 1900, a group of young artists in Munich, such as Richard Riemerschmid, Hermann Obrist and Margarethe von Brauchitsch, set out to revolutionise art and to reform life. The exhibition sheds light on Munich’s role as the cradle of Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) in Germany and demonstrates the relevance of the movement today.

The exhibition explores how Brian Maguire’s work as a painter and as an activist has contributed to Ireland’s long legacy of journalists and artists documenting war and conflict. Driven by a deep commitment to the struggle against inequality and violence, Maguire approaches painting as an act of solidarity, working closely with refugees, survivors of war zones, and the disenfranchised.