Cameroonian photographer Samuel Fosso began his photography career at the age of thirteen as an assistant. Soon after, Fosso opened his first studio in Bangui. By day he provided services to clients in need of passport photographs, group portraits, and wedding photography. Named Studio Photo Nationale, the business’s motto was: "You will be beautiful, elegant, delicate, and easy to recognise." By night, however, Fosso began to develop a unique self-portraiture practice that is today recognised for its nuanced explorations of Black history and stories of colonialism on the African continent.

In 1994, Samuel Fosso was awarded first prize at the Rencontres de Bamako. In 1997, for the 50th anniversary of the French brand Tati, he was commissioned to create a series of new works emblematic of his idiosyncratic photographic style. More recently, Fosso was awarded the Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands in 2001 and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize in 2023. Samuel Fosso will be presented by Christophe Person Galerie.