Samuel Fosso
Maison Européenne de la Photographie
English
Curated by Clothilde Morette.
Softcover
16 pages
100 x 150 mm
2022
ISBN Not Applicable
Retracing a career of almost 50 years, this retrospective exhibition of the work of Samuel Fosso brings together, for the first time in France, all of his major series.
Working between photography, self-portraiture and performance, his work occupies a central position in the international contemporary art world. Born in 1962 in Kumba, Cameroon, Fosso survived the civil war in Nigeria, before settling to live with his uncle in Bangui in the Central African Republic, where he began his career as a studio photographer at the age of 13. It was here that, outside of his daily work making portraits to order, he began making self-portraits for his own pleasure, creating a series of alternate identities challenging representational conventions. Ever since this time Fosso has continued to reinvent himself through his self-portraits which have allowed him to reach beyond the limitations usually imposed by society, geography and time. Above all his work questions what is at stake in accepted codes of representation and identity, as well as celebrating freedom of expression.
Comprising more than 300 prints, the exhibition brings together iconic series, lesser-known works, as well as archival material and previously unpublished, unseen images, displayed principally in large-scale ensembles. By offering overviews of both Fosso’s artistic practice and his personal story, and indeed the relationship between the two, the show offers a complete account of the artist.
(source: https://www.mep-fr.org/en/event/samuel-fosso-en/)
About the Artist
Samuel Fosso (b. 1962) is a Cameroonian-born Nigerian photographer who has worked for most of his career in the Central African Republic. His work includes using self-portraits adopting a series of personas, often commenting on the history of Africa. One of his most famous works of art, and what he is best known for, is his “autoportraits” where he takes either himself or other more recognizable people and draws them in a style of popular culture or politics. He is recognized as one of Central Africa’s leading contemporary artists.
He won the Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands in 2001.
(source: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/samuel-fosso-11360)
About the Publisher
The Maison Européenne de la Photographie, located in the historic heart of Paris, is a centre for contemporary photographic art opened in February 1996.
mep-fr.org
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_europ%C3%A9enne_de_la_photographie)
