African Spirits
- Artist: Samuel Fosso
- Date: 2008, printed 2009
- Medium: 14 photographs, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image, each: 1016 x 760 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is "African Spirits" by Samuel Fosso. The series of 14 gelatin silver prints, produced in 2008 and printed the following year, captures a group of men in traditional attire, seated, with distinct collars and armbands, suggesting a ritual or spiritual context. Fosso’s use of black‑and‑white photography emphasizes the textures of cloth and the intensity of the subjects’ expressions. The compositions balance intimacy and a broader sense of community, inviting viewers to consider how identity and spirituality intersect in contemporary African life. The work was part of the 2016 exhibition “Performing for the Camera,” where the camera becomes an active participant in the performance. In this piece, the camera is both witness and collaborator, recording the silent dialogue between subject and image. The series remains a powerful reflection on tradition, modernity, and the enduring presence of spirit in everyday moments.
See it in person
African Spirits is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
