| | | |  | | | Samuel Fosso
Self-Portrait (Angela Davis)
From the series African Spirits, 2008
© Samuel Fosso
Courtesy of the artist and JM Patras, Paris | | | | | | wins the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023 | | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | Samuel Fosso
Autoportrait
From the series 70s Lifestyle, 1976
© Samuel Fosso
Courtesy of the artist and JM Patras, Paris | | | | | | Samuel Fosso has won the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023. The artist was announced as the 2023 winner of the prestigious £30,000 prize at a special ceremony at The Photographers’ Gallery (TPG), London by artist Zak Ové on Thursday 11 May 2023.
The influential prize, in partnership with the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, rewards artists and their projects recognised as having made the most significant contribution to the world of contemporary photography over the preceding 12 months.
Samuel Fosso was awarded the Prize for his exhibition "Samuel Fosso" at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, (10 November 2021 – 13 March 2022). Since the mid-1970s, Samuel Fosso (b. 1962, Kumba, Cameroon) has dedicated his artistic practice to self-portraits and performative photography. Fosso’s retrospective exhibition traces a career of almost 50 years, bringing together iconic series, lesser-known works, archival material and previously unpublished images. Raised in Nigeria, Fosso fled the Biafran War as a young boy, and in 1972 was taken in by an uncle in Bangui in the Central African Republic.
In 1975, at the age of thirteen, Fosso opened his Studio Photo Nationale. Alongside commercial work, Fosso immediately began a series of self-portraits – a mode of representation he has never abandoned. Described as "a man of 1000 faces", Fosso plays the role of leading historical figures, including Martin Luther King, Angela Davis and Haile Selassie, and social archetypes in front of the camera, embodying a powerful way of existing in the world, and a vivid demonstration of photography’s role in the construction of myths. His work is deeply personal, he said "making pictures of myself later in life was a way for me to take back what I had been lacking as a child, to take back my reflection." | | | | | |  | | | Samuel Fosso
Self-Portrait (Tommie Smith)
From the series African Spirits, 2008
© Samuel Fosso
Courtesy of the artist and JM Patras, Paris | | | | | | The jury of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023 comprised: Natalie Herschdorfer, Director of Photo Elysee, Lausanne, Switzerland; Mahtab Hussain, artist; Thyago Nogueria, Head of Contemporary Photography at Instituto Moreira Salles, São Paulo, Brazil; Anne-Marie Beckmann, Director of Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, Frankfurt/Main, and Shoair Mavlian, Director of The Photographers’ Gallery, London, as voting chair.
Shoair Mavlian, Director, The Photographers’ Gallery, said: "We are delighted to announce Samuel Fosso as the winner of this year’s Prize. His sustained exploration of self-portraiture uses a traditional, studio-based approach steeped in history, while at the same time his work remains relevant and addresses contemporary political issues of today with humour and authenticity. His work has created an extraordinary platform for Black voices and artists throughout his career."
Anne-Marie Beckmann, Director, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, said: "Huge congratulations to Samuel. I am delighted that with this year’s Prize we are celebrating the importance of his retrospective at Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. The curation of the retrospective opened up new perspectives, allowing many more people to discover his work for the first time; and thrilled and surprised those who felt they already knew it. Through the retrospective we were able to see his work differently and gain a much deeper understanding of the relevance of his practice today. Many congratulations to the other shortlisted artists Bieke Depoorter, Arthur Jafa and Frida Orupabo. This extraordinary group of artists has shown us the power and resonance of photography today. Thank you for allowing us to share your work as part of this year’s exhibition and Prize."
The other shortlisted artists - Bieke Depoorter, Arthur Jafa and Frida Orupabo - all received £5,000. The exhibition showcasing all four artists is at The Photographers’ Gallery until 11 June 2023. The exhibition will tour to the Muzeum Fotografi w Krakowie, Krakow, Poland (30 June to 17 September 2023).
For more details visit: www.deutscheboersephotographyfoundation.org
Founded in 1996 by The Photographers’ Gallery, and now in its twenty-seventh year, the Prize has become one of the most prestigious international arts awards and has launched and established the careers of many photographers over the years. Previously known as the Citigroup Photography Prize, the Gallery has been in collaboration with the Deutsche Börse Group since 2005. In 2016 the Prize was retitled the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize following the establishment of the Foundation as a non-profit organisation dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and promoting contemporary photography. The winner of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2022 was Deana Lawson for her exhibition "Centropy". Past winners have included: Cao Fei, Mohamed Bourouissa, Susan Meiselas, Luke Willis Thompson, Dana Lixenberg, Trevor Paglen, Juergen Teller, Rineke Dijkstra, Richard Billingham, John Stezaker and Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin. | | | | | | unsubscribe here
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