By Amina Hilda
Renowned Cameroonian-born photographer, Samuel Fosso, has won the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize for 2023.
He was announced the winner of the £30,000 (17.2 million francs) prize at a special award ceremony on May 11, 2023, after carrying out an exhibition at Maison Européenne de la Photographie gallery in Paris, France.
Popularly known as the ‘man of 1,000 faces’, Samuel Fosso won the award for creating “startling new identities through self-portraiture, based on social archetypes as well as real historical figures”, Deutsch Börse Photography Foundation wrote on its website.
Meanwhile, in a reaction after receiving the award, as captured by the BBC, Fasso said: “Winning this prestigious prize, recognized as one of the most important in the field of photography, means that my work is recognized by the artistic community.”
The 60-year-old artist was born in Kumba, Southwest Region of Cameroon, and grew up in Nigeria before later moving to Central Africa Republic (CAR), where he began an apprenticeship at a local photographic studio.
Edited by Tata Mbunwe
