With its large collection of African art assembled by its founder, Arthur Walther, the Walther Collection in New York is holding an exhibition of the work of Cameroonian photographer Samuel Fosso from now through January. It looks back at the history of the first studio opened by Fosso in Bangui, Central African Republic, at the age of 13, after fleeing the civil war in Nigeria.
The studio, which was variously called “Studio National,” “Studio Confiance” and, finally, “Studio Convenance,” boasted the motto: “With Studio National, you’ll be beautiful, stylish, delicate and easy to recognize.” Fosso, somewhat of a loner, took portraits during the day to earn a living; at night, he turned the camera on himself, and sent the resulting portraits to his grandmother and his friends, who remained in Nigeria. After starting out in simple black-and-white, the pictures gradually became color, slightly provocative for their nudity, and eccentric. He quickly took a more experimental approach: he transformed himself using costumes and adopted a studied aestheticism. Like the photographer Claude Cahun, Fosso photographed himself using the codes of theatre to present an original creation far from the classical style popular in Africa at the time. Although choosing to take self-portraits may seem somewhat narcissistic, don’t be mistaken: the individual reflects his sense of society as a whole.
Read the full article on the French version of L’Oeil.
EXHIBITION
Samuel Fosso
Until January 17th 2015
Walther Collection Project Space
526 W 26th St
New York, NY 10001
+1(212) 352-0683
http://www.walthercollection.com
