To Brooklyn and Back began as a poem, written on a summer night in Clinton Hill as the sound of jazz spilled from open windows and the air itself seemed to hum with memory. From that moment, Samba set out to translate the rhythm of a feeling into image. Within a month, he wrote, directed, and screened the film in New York.

Shot with a small, but very talented, intimate team. Each scene was approached like a verse. It was less about direction and more about listening to the city and to the what the poem meant.

What resulted is a three-minute visual poem that captures what words often can’t. To Brooklyn and Back feels alive because it was made with truth and soul. It is not just a film but a collection of images and a record of emotion in motion.

Samba wanted this project to live within its own world, through the short film, the photography, and the accompanying standalone videos. Each piece carries evidence of that feeling, forming a complete, self-contained universe.

Bask a Man in Blue is Samba’s personal reflection on devotion, vulnerability, and the hidden spark that emerges from darkness. Inspired by a poem of the same name, the series weaves Samba’s own story with mythic symbols, casting “the Blue Angel” as both muse and reluctant catalyst. By pairing dramatic low-key lighting with soft washes of color, each frame hums with a quiet ache reminding us that sometimes pain sparks our most profound creations.

At its heart is a man, partially swallowed by shadows who must “be blue to feel.” Opposite him stands a dancer blindfolded by lace, the silent bow-bearer who must deliver the nightly arrow of sorrow. Their tender choreography, one offering his soul, the other bound by love and necessity, carries a delicate sense of acceptance and longing. He is punished just as Sisyphus was to an eternal suffering, one he craves.

Bask a Man in Blue feels timeless, echoing the poem’s refrain to see and be seen without flinching. Flickers of light catch hidden gestures, balancing secrecy and revelation in a way that feels deeply intimate. In these moments, Samba invites us to consider that, in welcoming our wounds, we may discover in the darkest shade of blue, the place where art and our deepest selves quietly converge.

Bask A Man In Blue Poem- Samba

Bask a man in blue. Watch how he gently unravels, showing you the quiet hollows where he’s buried his fragmented self, whispered confessions he never meant to share. Bask a man in blue, and know he will not forget you he will not regret you. For what makes a man blue is a weight he must lift alone a testament only he can bear.

And if you stay, truly stay, he will burst before your eyes like a thousand fireworks at dusk, each color shimmering into the next, a spectacle of all he dared to hide. The vow to see, and to be seen, without flinching. And if there is grace in this understanding, it is the grace that to love is to stand still in the glow of another’s deepest shade, deepest shadow.

Series of 4 | 3 pieces of each | SOLD

Samba’s The Eternal Ride Home is a meditation on memory, belonging, and the quiet power of return. This analog photograph was captured in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, using the iconic and highly collectible FP-100C instant film. This piece holds a deeply personal resonance for Samba, who spent 9 years growing up in the Middle East and found in AlUla a homecoming to a familiar yet profound sense of place. The Senegalese artist who has always lived in the in between spaces where the desert meets the sea, encapsulates the rich emotions tied to this journey.

The image portrays a solitary female rider covered in a full abaya and niqab amidst the verdant palm groves of AlUla, exuding a quiet elegance and a sense of poetic stillness. Samba’s lens captures more than just a moment, it evokes the eternal bond between identity, heritage, and the landscape that shapes them. The rider’s poised figure, set against the lush backdrop, symbolizes a narrative that bridges memory and present, encapsulating the artist’s personal connection to the Middle East.

Shot on FP-100C film, a medium celebrated for its vibrant colors and rich tonal depth, this piece gains further significance due to the film’s discontinuation by Fujifilm in 2016. The rarity of this medium, combined with its unmatched ability to render light and emotion, elevates The Eternal Ride Home as both a collectible artifact and a timeless work of art.

For discerning collectors, this one-of-one edition offers an unparalleled glimpse into Samba’s artistic vision and personal journey. More than an image, this work is an emotional homecoming, capturing the essence of place and memory.

Samba

The Eternal Ride Home,2025
Edition 1/1

FP-100C Instant Film

Purchased for $3,000 USD

(1/17/25)

8.25 x 10.795 cm
(3.25” x 4.25” in)