Osma Harvilahti Explores Ethiopia From An Underpass In Addis Ababa

The series draws from South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-Duk’s seminal work, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring—a film that sees the evolution of a man throughout five seasons, and his life. “The books take their lead from the film in that simple and profound ideas, human passions and spirituality can be perceived differently depending on the season”, explains Libraryman of the ongoing body of published work. This monograph by Harvilahti is the autumn in a seasonal quartet that also includes spring, summer, and winter. The work that it comprises of was captured at the conclusion of a two week trip to Ethiopia, shot by Harvilahti from an underpass in the bustling city of Addis Ababa. The body of work itself seems cloaked by dusk, in the milky purple light that suggests something is about to change. In Harvilahti’s Ethiopia, the country’s colors seem softened, pierced by the occasional bolt of color; the red heat of a plastic chair, the blues of empty water barrels against the blue of the sky. Lilac flowers pepper the pages shot on the bonnet of cars and against white paper—the embodiment of autumn as both an ending and a beginning.