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Samuel Fosso: SIXSIXSIX

By Samuel Fosso
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
SIXSIXSIX is a compelling collection of 666 large-format Polaroid self-portraits by Samuel Fosso, created in his Paris studio during 2015 and 2016. With each image taken against a vibrant backdrop, the series captures a vast range of bodily expressions, reflecting Fosso's blending of performance and photography. The work conveys deep personal and historical emotions, referencing misfortune and survival through Fosso’s life experiences including illness, war, and conflict. His portraits serve as a profound exploration of buried emotions and resilience.
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Format: Hardback
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Ideal for readers interested in contemporary art, photography, performance art, and personal narrative explored through visual culture.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

SIXSIXSIX 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.

In Fosso's words: "In this series there is unhappiness and happiness, misfortune and good fortune. I was very inspired by these two aspects. SIXSIXSIX 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."

When 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.
Samuel Fosso

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The book is praised for its elegant simplicity and conceptual depth, presenting identical headshots that meditate on lifelong challenges and endurance. Reviewer Luther Kanadu notes it critically reflects the human condition’s persistence, highlighting Fosso’s ability to narrate his story on his own terms in the face of adversity.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9783958295094

Publisher: Steidl Publishers

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 11 June 2020

Country: Germany

Imprint: Steidl Verlag

Illustration: 666 Illustrations, color

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 190.0mm

Height: 240.0mm

Weight: 2580g

Pages: 684

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction Photography Books Samuel Fosso

About the Author

Born in Kumba in Cameroon in 1962, Samuel Fosso fled Nigeria and the Biafra War, and sought refuge in Bangui in the Central African Republic. He opened his own commercial photography studio there at the age of 13. Alongside his portrait work Fosso began a series of self-portraits, a mode of representation he would never abandon. Staging his personal identity, his work gradually took on a universal social and political dimension, as in his celebrated series "TATI" (1997) and "African Spirits" (2008). Fosso's work is held in collections such as the Tate, London; the Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris; the Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

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