Samuel Fosso is one of Central Africa’s leading contemporary photographers, whose playful and perceptive work investigates Pan-African identity and history through the use of portraiture. Fosso found his path to art-making through his early work as a commercial portrait photographer, using his leftover film to capture self-portraits against well-considered backdrops and incorporating pose, costume, and props. Renowned for his “autoportraits”—styling himself and others as characters from popular culture or politics—Fosso reflects the world around him through a distinct aesthetic that has at times defied Nigerian dictatorial decree.

Fosso’s work is now held in museum collections such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Tate, among many others, and he was the recipient of the Prince Claus Award of the Netherlands. Samuel Fosso, a new title in the renowned Photofile series, exhibits Fosso’s photographic opus through sixty full-page reproductions in a handsome and collectible pocket format.