{"title":"Samuel Fosso","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplore the captivating visual narratives of \u003cstrong\u003eSamuel Fosso\u003c\/strong\u003e, whose works delve into themes of identity, history, and self-expression through striking photographic art. His collections, including \u003cem\u003eAUTOPORTRAIT\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSIXSIXSIX\u003c\/em\u003e, challenge conventions and invite readers to reflect on the power of self-representation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRooted in \u003cem\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/em\u003e, Fosso’s books offer a profound journey into the art of portraiture and the complexities of cultural storytelling. These volumes are essential for readers interested in photography, contemporary art, and the intersections of personal and collective memory.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"samuel-fosso-autoportrait-by-samuel-fosso-9783958296121","title":"Samuel Fosso: AUTOPORTRAIT","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAUTOPORTRAIT\u003c\/em\u003e is the first comprehensive survey of Samuel Fosso's multifaceted oeuvre. Since the mid-1970s, the artist has focused on self-portraiture and performance, envisioning variations of identity in the postcolonial era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Fosso's early self-portraits in black-and-white from the 1970s to his recent, continually inventive exercises in self-presentation, highlights include the vibrant series \"Tati\" (1997), in which he playfully inhabits African and African American characters and archetypes; and the magisterial portraits of \"African Spirits\" (2008), where he poses as icons of the pan-African liberation and Civil Rights movements, such as Angela Davis, Martin Luther King, Jr., Patrice Lumumba and Nelson Mandela.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis landmark monograph demonstrates Fosso's unique departure from the traditions of West African studio photography, established in the 1950s and '60s by modern masters Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé. By charting his conceptual practice of self-portraiture, and sustained engagement with notions of sexuality, gender and self-representation, this book reveals an unprecedented photographic project—one that consistently reflects themes in global visual culture, and covers the range of expressive applications of photography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTaking pictures is for me a way of liberating myself from the suffering of childhood, from illness, war, everything. I always believed that my life would be pushed aside by other people's, but photography has given me a second life. It's made all lives possible for me.\u003c\/em\u003e - Samuel Fosso\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47461345132780,"sku":"9783958296121","price":165.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9783958296121-samuel-fosso-autoportrait.jpg?v=1774966150"},{"product_id":"samuel-fosso-sixsixsix-by-samuel-fosso-9783958295094","title":"Samuel Fosso: SIXSIXSIX","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSIXSIXSIX\u003c\/em\u003e consists of 666 large-format Polaroid self-portraits (each 21.5 x 27 cm), produced in an intensive process by Samuel Fosso with a small team in his Paris studio in 2015 and 2016. Shot against the same rich, coloured backdrop, these striking photographs depart from Fosso's earlier self-portraits through their understated and stripped-back approach. Fosso's challenge was to create 666 self-portraits, each with a different bodily expression, reminding us of the link between his performances and photography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn Fosso's words: \"In this series there is unhappiness and happiness, misfortune and good fortune. I was very inspired by these two aspects. \u003cem\u003eSIXSIXSIX\u003c\/em\u003e refers to the number of misfortune. By that I mean in terms of what I've encountered in my life up to now. After my illness came the Biafra War; millions of people died, and I was fortunate to be saved. I went to the Central African Republic where I experienced the conflicts of 2014, in which I also could have died. [...] For all that I've been through, God has been with me and saved me. [...] In the end, it's about buried emotions that we ourselves create, and about exorcising my own resentment in the face of this situation. From 1976 to 2014, I have never been at peace in my life when faced with the actions of those who always sow misfortune among children and innocents.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen I work, it's always a performance that I choose to undertake. It's not a subject or an object; it's one more human being.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSamuel Fosso\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47598109163756,"sku":"9783958295094","price":185.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9783958295094-samuel-fosso-sixsixsix.jpg?v=1777961918"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/samuel-fosso.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}