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a career of almost 50 years, bringing together iconic series, lesser-known works, archival material and previously unpublished images.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.”

The Jury

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 2003. The exhibition will tour to the Muzeum Fotografi w Krakowie, Krakow, Poland (30 June to 17 September 2023).

For more details visit: www.tpg.org.uk

Notes for editors:

You can find on overview of the press images here, please contact us directly for high-resolution images.

Media contacts:

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation: 
Isabelle Hammer
media.foundation@deutsche-boerse.com 
Tel. +49 69 21117014

The Photographers’ Gallery:
Jodie Lewis, Margaret PR
jodie@margaretlondon.com 

Sophia Hammond, Margaret PR
sophia@margaretlondon.com 
 

About Samuel Fosso

Samuel Fosso was born in Kumba, Cameroon and 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.

Samuel Fosso has exhibited in major international venues including the Centre National de la Photographie, Paris; Tate Modern and National Portrait Gallery, London and the Guggenheim Museum and Museum of Modern Art, New York. The major retrospective of his work, inaugurated at Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris in 2022 travelled to Huis Marseille, Amsterdam and Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm, Germany. In 2020, the monograph “Autoportrait”, the first comprehensive survey of Samuel Fosso’s work, was published by Steidl.

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation 

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in Frankfurt/Main that is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and promoting contemporary photography. It is responsible for the further development and presentation of the Art Collection Deutsche Börse, which now comprises over 2,300 photographic works by around 160 artists from 33 nations. In its exhibition space in Eschborn near Frankfurt/Main, it shows several exhibitions a year that are open to the public. Supporting young artists is a particular concern of the foundation, which promotes them in many ways: with awards, scholarships or through participation in the talent programme of the Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam Foam. Together with the Photographers’ Gallery in London, it awards the renowned Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize every year. Furthermore, the foundation supports exhibition projects of international museums and institutions as well as the development of platforms for academic dialogue and research on the medium of photography. 
www.deutscheboersephotographyfoundation.org

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize History

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.

The Photographers’ Gallery

The Photographers’ Gallery (TPG) champions photography for everyone. Located in the heart of central London and home to an international community of photographers, the Gallery explores photography in all its forms, with a diverse and critically acclaimed programme of exhibitions, events and courses. The UK’s first independent gallery devoted to photography, TPG was first to exhibit many key names in international photography, including Juergen Teller, Helen Levitt, Rinko Kawauchi, Gordon Parks, Sebastião Salgado and Andreas Gursky. The Gallery has also been instrumental in establishing contemporary British photographers, including Martin Parr and Corinne Day. Over the past five decades TPG has helped to establish photography as a recognised art form, introducing new audiences to photography and celebrating its place at the heart of visual culture. Right outside TPG, Soho Photography Quarter (SPQ) is an exciting new permanent outdoor cultural space, presenting the very best of contemporary photography for free. 
tpg.org.uk