SIXSIXSIX consists of 666 large-format Polaroid self-portraits (each 21.5 x 27 cm), produced in an intensive process by Samuel Fosso with a small team in his Paris studio in 2015 and 2016. Shot against the same rich, colored backdrop, these striking photographs depart from Fossoª¡s earlier self-portraits through their understated and strippedback approach. Fossoª¡s challenge was to create 666 self-portraits each with a different bodily expression, reminding us of the link between his performances and photography.
In Fossoª¡s words: ªIn this series there is unhappiness and happiness, misfortune and good fortune. I was very inspired by these two aspects. SIXSIXSIX refers to the number of misfortune. By that I mean in terms of what Iª¡ve encountered in my life up to now. After my illness came the Biafra War; millions of people died, and I was fortunate to be saved. I went to the Central African Republic where I experienced the confl icts of 2014, in which I also could have died. [ª] For all that Iª¡ve been through, God has been with me and saved me. [ª] In the end, itª¡s about buried emotions that we ourselves create, and about exorcizing my own resentment in the face of this situation. From 1976 to 2014, I have never been at peace in my life when faced with the actions of those who always sow misfortune among children and innocents.ª
When I work, itª¡s always a performance that I choose to undertake. Itª¡s not a subject or an object; itª¡s one more human being.
Samuel Fosso
In Fossoª¡s words: ªIn this series there is unhappiness and happiness, misfortune and good fortune. I was very inspired by these two aspects. SIXSIXSIX refers to the number of misfortune. By that I mean in terms of what Iª¡ve encountered in my life up to now. After my illness came the Biafra War; millions of people died, and I was fortunate to be saved. I went to the Central African Republic where I experienced the confl icts of 2014, in which I also could have died. [ª] For all that Iª¡ve been through, God has been with me and saved me. [ª] In the end, itª¡s about buried emotions that we ourselves create, and about exorcizing my own resentment in the face of this situation. From 1976 to 2014, I have never been at peace in my life when faced with the actions of those who always sow misfortune among children and innocents.ª
When I work, itª¡s always a performance that I choose to undertake. Itª¡s not a subject or an object; itª¡s one more human being.
Samuel Fosso
