Andrew Eldon, 'Suri Woman with Flower Headdress', Omo Valley, Ethiopia 2023
Andrew Eldon, 'Suri Woman with Flower Headdress', Omo Valley, Ethiopia 2023
Artist: Andrew Eldon
Series: Tribe
Title: 'Suri Boy in River', Omo Valley, Ethiopia 2023
Limited Edition, Fine Art Archival Pigment Print
Available in below sizes:
X-Small: print size: about H50 x 30 cm (A3+), image size H44 x 29 cm
Small: print size: about H60 x 40 cm (A2), image size 56 x 36 cm, edition of 8, HK$ 8,800
Medium: print size H100 x 70 cm, image size H90 x 60 cm, edition of 8, HK$ 18,800
Large: print size H130 x 90 cm, image size H120 x 80 cm, edition of 8, HK$ 28,800
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.