Samuel Fosso was born in Cameroon in 1962 and grew up in Nigeria among Igbo peoples during the Biafran War. In 1972 he moved to the Central African Republic to work in his uncle’s shoe factory before becoming interested in photography. Fosso began making self-portraits in 1975, at the age of 13, when he opened his own photographic studio. Learn more about the photographer on his website.
Samuel Fosso (born July 17, 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 and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize in 2023.
