Samuel Fosso

Samuel Fosso's images are immediately arresting. His work stands so far apart that it is beyond comparison. Enigmatic, it takes hold of the viewer right from the first glimpse even though its depth may take longer to sink in. His narcissistic involvement with himself to the point of obsession guarantees that what he offers of Fosso is more than an ordinary mirror image Samuel Fosso, Autoportrait, Black and whit e phot ogr aph, 35 x 35 cm. Samuel Fosso Jean Lamore Autoportrait, 1988, Black and whit e phot ogr aph, 40 x 90 cm. W estern curators, keen on grouping and categorizing, especially when it com es to the work of African artists, might compare Samuel Fosso to a run-ofthe -m ill neighb orhood studio photograph er, but his selfportraits have nothing in common with their works, in spite of the fact he himself spent many years in that profession. This persistent lumping together, however, makes one wonder whether or not these cura tors are not simply leading us down the dangerous road of speciation. After viewing these exhibitions, the sentiment one comes away with would be: These photographers are black, they do studio portrait work, as often as not with naively painted backdrops, and it appeals to our penchant fo r exoticism . Nonetheless, blind is he who confuses Fosso with the others. Samuel Posse's images are immediately arresting. His work stands so far apart that it is beyond comparison. Enigmatic, it takes hold of the viewer right from the first glimpse even though its depth may take lon ger to sink in. His narcissistic involvement with him self to the point of obsession guarantees that what he offers of Fosso is more than an ordinary mirror image. Never, I believe, in the histor y of art has the self been explored with such profundity : not by Rembrandt nor Courbet nor even Van Gogh! Spare me the comparisons with the contemporary western star of the mom ent solely bent on celebration of the ego, wielding recipes concocted from smugness and shallow humor. If there is a gloss of megalomani c self-infatuation in Fosse's wor k, it only serves to rend er more acutely what is being offered to view, for his kind of work can only be beheld. Take the early Fosso self-portrait with bell-bottom s, sunglasses and casquette. Contrary to what Fosso himself infers in his rare interviews, it is not exactly a fashion stateme nt. But while it is true that western fashions have had a certain influence from the start in Fosse's work, the glossy pages of fashion magazines, when they finally do make it here, frequently serve as handy wiping devices or for wrapping fish! Having each shoe, every pair of pants and for that matter, even the spotlights of his studio handmade, fashion may have served as a pretext to those ends, but under each image he creates there lies a very serious esthetic consideration with a deeper meaning, which begins to unfold when one learns about Fosso's life. Many know that he apprenticed in a Cameroon photo studio and started self-po rtraiture by simply shoo ting himself to use up the last shots on the film after a client's departure. However, few are aware that Fosso is a survivor of the Biafra conflict. He escaped this war, completely paralyzed and by some miracl e, walks today. Herein lies the real apprenticeship, one it is best not to share, altho ugh it is the source of the penetrating stare offered to the camera, placed in front of him. But now then, does Fosso not live today in a most beautiful land where almost everything that can be seen has just this sort of deeper meaning? The kind of knowledge that no amount of superficial scratching can bring to light? Is the shirt that he wears in an early self-portrait mere decorum? It is no less than a lesson in contemporary history worn across his chest, though there is no brash, immediately identifi able, political vindication, like a Malcolm X tee shirt. With Fosso, one mu st go deeper right from the start. In...