Andrew Eldon, 'Suri Boys', Omo Valley, Ethiopia 2023
Andrew Eldon, 'Suri Boys', Omo Valley, Ethiopia 2023
Artist: Andrew Eldon
Series: Tribe
Title: 'Suri Boys', Omo Valley, Ethiopia 2023
Limited Edition, Fine Art Archival Pigment Print
Available in below sizes:
Small: print size: about H40x60cm (A2), image size 56x36cm, edition of 8, HK$ 8,800
Medium: print size H70 x 100 cm, image size H60 x 90 cm, edition of 8, HK$ 18,800
Large: print size H90 x 130 cm, image size H80 x 120 cm, edition of 8, HK$ 28,800
X-Large: print size H110 x 160 cm, image size H100 x 150 cm, edition of 5, HK$ 38,800
Prices are for print only, excluding framing or face-mounting which can be arranged at additional cost, please feel free to ask us about various framing and mounting options.
Local delivery or international shipping can be arranged at additional cost, please ask us for a quotation.
Lead time takes about one week for print only and about 2-3 weeks including framing or facemount.
Please contact us for any inquiries on info@bluelotus-gallery.com
Through vivid portraits and cultural scenes, Eldon's lens captures the grace and splendor of Suri life and traditions before they are irrevocably altered by modernisation. His images reveal the tribe's distinctive practices of body modification and adornment. Women wear large clay lip plates and both men and women engage in ritual body scarring—testaments to the Suri's unique concepts of beauty and identity. Eldon's photographs also unveil the Suri's elaborate floral headdresses and face painting, artful preparations usually reserved for special occasions.
Beyond aesthetics, the exhibition invites viewers to understand the daily rhythms and values of Suri life. Their semi-nomadic pastoral existence revolves around cattle herding and subsistence farming on ancestral lands. Family and community are central pillars for the Suri, with polygamy commonly practiced and major decisions made collectively by village elders. While life is difficult by modern standards, Eldon's images radiate the Suri's infectious joy and camaraderie.
Eldon's photographs capture a culture on the cusp of transformation. The Ethiopian government has begun leasing Suri lands to international mining and agricultural companies, carving roads through once-isolated terrain. The exhibition becomes a meditation on the impermanence of indigenous cultures amidst the unstoppable tide of globalisation.